New Year’s Resolutions. Take them or leave them?

January’s topic for our Blog-o-Sphere Think Tank is: “New Year’s Resolutions. Take them or leave them?”

At the beginning of every year, there seems to be some sort of unwritten rule that people decide they are going to make resolutions to be better about something…..exercising, writing that great novel, creating art on a daily basis,  meditating, reading a book a month, taking up yoga….you name it, they are going to ‘try‘ to do it.  I think that is great, BUT it seems like that type of resolution behavior sets a person up for failure.

Let me give you an example.  My husband and I belong to the YMCA and we dread January.  Why?  All the ‘resolutioners’ show up, bombard the pool, the tread mills, take up all the equipment, making it almost impossible for us regulars to do what we do week in, week out, for the entire year.  Do some keep up and hang in there?  Sure.  But for the most part, they go at it too hard, get frustrated and just give up.

That is my lead in to the answer for this question, “New Year’s Resolutions. Take them or leave them?”  My answer is I could take them or leave them when you use the term resolution.

I think the more important thing here is to make a commitment to yourself!  That’s right.  Look at your self, lovingly, in the mirror and say either in your mind or out loud, “I am making a commitment to you to do this ________________”.  Your opportunity to fill in the blank.  That is so important.

Here’s why.  Words matter.   They can motivate.  They can demoralize.  When we are talking to ourselves, we need to be as encouraging and loving as possible to affect the change we want in our lives.   Commitment means more to me that the word resolution.  I don’t want to let myself down or anyone else; it is not in my personality.

In this case, when I make a commitment, that is one of those positive, supporting, reinforcing words that I promise I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

For me, the word resolution has a negative connotation, no follow through.  I kinda, sorta mean to do what I’m saying, but not really.  If it doesn’t pan out after a couple of days, that’s ok….it just wasn’t meant to be.

But when I make a commitment, especially one to myself that means something to me, well that takes on a whole new meaning.  It has importance.  It has value.  It is something I want to do.

2014 has just begun.  How many people have already given up on their resolutions for this year?  I have to say it again, it is my feeling, my belief that people set themselves up for failure by thinking in terms of a New Year Resolution.

There’s still plenty of time to make that commitment for positive change in your life.  It’s not an annual thing I do, it is a daily thing for me.  My commitment to myself is to work on positive changes in my life.  I work on it every single day.  The way I look at it, we’re all works in progress and in my mind that requires daily work to become the person you were meant to be.

Now let’s see what my fellow writers had to say on this topic.

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com
Catherine Witherell: http://happydayart.typepad.com
Shelagh Blatz: http://designsbyshelagh.com/blog
pencilfox www.pencilfox.com
diana bell www.bellsprings.blogspot.com

Namaste.