That New Year Resolution Post

I've been thinking about New Year Resolutions. I've even made some myself - two are based on my successful 2005 resolutions.

None are repeats of old unsuccessful resolutions.

Because that's the thing: many people trot out the same set of resolutions year after year, even if they haven't succeeded for a decade. It's like the will power they didn't have last year will suddenly start working this year. The first time they made it, at least they had some optimism they could do it: the second there's the slight doubt they might not succeed. By the time they have re-iterated the same resolution yet again, they are increasingly aware that they can't do it - because if they could do it, they would have done it last year, or the year before of the year before that.

If you are in that situation, just cancel that resolution. Choose other resolutions instead.

I don't mean rename it or reword the resolution. If your old goal was to "loose weight" don't replace it with the new goal of "eat fewer snacks". Replace it with something as far removed from the old goal as could be - "join a chess club" perhaps.

Instead, enjoy a guilt-free year with a bunch of New Resolutions.

The interesting thing is that by this time next year, one of three things will have happened with your old goals.

1. You'll have achieved the resolution, even though you weren't really trying - and I know this is what you expect me to say is the purpose of my suggestion. Well, maybe you will or maybe you won't.
   
2. You won't have achieved it, and you'll realise that you want it. Maybe in 2007 you'll re-instate it, with the motivation to succeed.
   
3. You won't have achieved it, and you won't care.
   

Which ever happens, you'll have found out if you care or not - and if you don't care you can have fun without the nagging guilt. If you do care, you can do something about it, starting afresh with a new optimism.