Those Pesky Resolutions!
Let’s put down our pencils and rethink this whole New Year’s resolutions thing. Apparently, people have been engaging in this exercise since the days of the ancient Babylonians! Could it be time to revamp and transform this tradition?
Are we still making a long list of resolutions at the beginning of each new year? How is that working for us? Do we assiduously follow through and stick to that list, or do we gradually fade from our resolve? Doesn't give us warm, fuzzy feelings about ourselves, does it? Are we ready to adopt a new—and improved—approach?
A “resolution” is defined as some action we desire to do, or not to do. We resolve to spend the coming year making what we perceive as needed corrections in behavior, or in finally conquering bad habits. Often these resolutions stem from what we failed to do the previous year. But isn’t this starting from a point of negativity about ourselves? Is that really helpful for our continuing growth? It brings to mind the Bible passage that reads, “When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19, The Living Bible)
Some examples of resolutions might include: lose weight (always tops on my list), get more exercise, pay off bills, quit smoking, get more organized, stop procrastinating, etc. These are all worthwhile tasks, but with no outlined strategies for accomplishing them, we consistently set ourselves up for failure. How about a different scheme this year? But first we have to recognize the difference between goals, projects, and resolutions and then create separate lists for each.
Goals are the most important, and we should have no more than five on our list with several strategies for accomplishing them recorded underneath. These are open-ended undertakings on which we hope—and should expect—to make measurable progress during the coming year. Here are a couple of examples:
– use cash when we can
– pay a little more than the minimum payment each month
– learn to steam fresh vegetables
– eat fresh fruit for dessert instead of sweets
– grill or bake meat and fish
– begin a walking routine, increasing in speed and distance over time
– spend more time each day getting sunshine and fresh air
Projects are things that we would like to do or complete, time permitting, such as: clean up the garage, build a tree house for the kids, go through clothes and give never worn items to charity, sort out files and discard or shred unnecessary or dated papers, scan old family photos and create a digital album. These are not imperatives, but completing these worthwhile tasks for ourselves and others will give us a sense of accomplishment.
And those pesky resolutions? How about we each make a short, personal list we look at daily that strictly relates to our expression of Spirit? It might include: express gratitude more often—silently and audibly; smile warmly at people we encounter throughout the day; forego all name-calling; refrain from self-indulgent criticism of others; pause to collect our thoughts before responding in anger to others.
When December 31st looms near, we can review our lists—our goals, projects, and resolutions—and will clearly see that some real progress has been made. Theses improvements we have made in our lives will give us a needed year-end boost and create more positive, hopeful feelings as we enter the next new year!
Let’s put down our pencils and rethink this whole New Year’s resolutions thing. Apparently, people have been engaging in this exercise since the days of the ancient Babylonians! Could it be time to revamp and transform this tradition?
Are we still making a long list of resolutions at the beginning of each new year? How is that working for us? Do we assiduously follow through and stick to that list, or do we gradually fade from our resolve? Doesn't give us warm, fuzzy feelings about ourselves, does it? Are we ready to adopt a new—and improved—approach?
A “resolution” is defined as some action we desire to do, or not to do. We resolve to spend the coming year making what we perceive as needed corrections in behavior, or in finally conquering bad habits. Often these resolutions stem from what we failed to do the previous year. But isn’t this starting from a point of negativity about ourselves? Is that really helpful for our continuing growth? It brings to mind the Bible passage that reads, “When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19, The Living Bible)
Some examples of resolutions might include: lose weight (always tops on my list), get more exercise, pay off bills, quit smoking, get more organized, stop procrastinating, etc. These are all worthwhile tasks, but with no outlined strategies for accomplishing them, we consistently set ourselves up for failure. How about a different scheme this year? But first we have to recognize the difference between goals, projects, and resolutions and then create separate lists for each.
Goals are the most important, and we should have no more than five on our list with several strategies for accomplishing them recorded underneath. These are open-ended undertakings on which we hope—and should expect—to make measurable progress during the coming year. Here are a couple of examples:
- reduce credit card debt
– use cash when we can
– pay a little more than the minimum payment each month
- establish a more healthy lifestyle
– learn to steam fresh vegetables
– eat fresh fruit for dessert instead of sweets
– grill or bake meat and fish
– begin a walking routine, increasing in speed and distance over time
– spend more time each day getting sunshine and fresh air
Projects are things that we would like to do or complete, time permitting, such as: clean up the garage, build a tree house for the kids, go through clothes and give never worn items to charity, sort out files and discard or shred unnecessary or dated papers, scan old family photos and create a digital album. These are not imperatives, but completing these worthwhile tasks for ourselves and others will give us a sense of accomplishment.
And those pesky resolutions? How about we each make a short, personal list we look at daily that strictly relates to our expression of Spirit? It might include: express gratitude more often—silently and audibly; smile warmly at people we encounter throughout the day; forego all name-calling; refrain from self-indulgent criticism of others; pause to collect our thoughts before responding in anger to others.
When December 31st looms near, we can review our lists—our goals, projects, and resolutions—and will clearly see that some real progress has been made. Theses improvements we have made in our lives will give us a needed year-end boost and create more positive, hopeful feelings as we enter the next new year!
