We are far enough into the new year to have either made progress in making our New Year’s resolution a habit or ditch the resolution idea altogether. For the most part, the new year is a great time to work on some much-needed self-improvement. Let’s face it though, everyone starts with good intentions that don’t always pan out. So what is the scoop on the whole deal? Do New Year’s resolutions even work?
Success
Have you ever started a craft project and halfway into it lost interest and never completed the darn thing? Most of those half baked projects end up as wasted time and money in the trash heap. That was me in my younger years. I wasted lots of money and time only to lose interest and move onto the next latest and greatest trend. After cleaning out my closet and throwing away several of these no longer desired craft projects it hit me. Seeing how much money I had just tossed in the trash bothered me. I made up my mind right then and there. I was not going to begin any new projects until I had completed the last one. Thankfully, I stuck to my guns! It became a successful habit that I still have to this day after seeing how wasteful I had been.
Failure
Not all my resolutions, New Year’s or otherwise, have had the same success. I think some ideas just sound appealing at the beginning. Then you start putting the idea into practice and it is just not flowing with the rest of your life. Those resolutions are usually the first to be tossed. Some resolutions are ridiculous to start with! “I will never EVER eat another piece of cake or chocolate again” is a perfect example. We all know that one is doomed to fail right out the gate! So how do we get our well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions to actually come to success instead of failure?
Stick With It
Resolution failure is always a possibility, but then so is resolution success. What is going to make you stick with it when you feel like throwing in the towel? There has to be some fortitude and grit to continue when the newness of the grand idea has worn off. I believe you really have to be fed up enough with your past behavior and choices to choose to not keep repeating the same old, same old. You have to really desire the change enough that it repulses you to go back to your old ways. Here are a few great tips to help you stick to your guns and set yourself up for success!
Tips and Tricks
- Write down your “Why” iron clad with some very good examples
- Clue a friend in on your endeavor for accountability
- Keep a diary of your progress, including your feelings along the way
- Be specific about your goal
- Expect success
In The End
The final conclusion in the matter is that New Year’s resolutions are fantastic ideas! Think the matter through and don’t enter into the idea frivolously. Be serious-minded! Make all those health, financial, relational, career-related, educational, and just for fun goals. You and your family are worth the time and effort to make the improvement happen!
Write the vision, make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.
Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV)
God has given us only so many days in this life. It is a cycle of seasons to change, learn and grow in. The older I get, the more important finding out and completing God’s will for my life becomes. God never intended for us to stop learning and maturing for good. Life reconfigurations are happening all around us. Jump in the game! Set some goals and New Year’s resolutions today! It’s not too late to start. Who knows? You may be the next success story worth sharing to encourage another along the way! Best wishes and Good Luck!