As I found time over Christmas New Year to read the plethora of news,magazines, blogs and other publications I subscribe to, I read an awful lot about people's new year resolutions, tips for making and keeping resolutions, and, as the new year rolled around, stories of resolutions broken within hours of their starting point.
I was intrigued by a couple of common threads:
(a) there seems to be two types of people: those who profess to not need to make resolutions and those who religiously goal set; and
(b) many new year resolutions I read revolved around people wanting quite simply to live a better quality life, focussing on family, good health and a lifestyle that was eluding them.
So, I started thinking about those who say they don't make new year resolutions (and many of those I read about are people well deserving of a high level of respect in the community). Typically they are quoted as "if something needs doing, I just do it", or "I don't feel I need to quit smoking, drink less or lose weight" (does that mean their current smoking, drinking and weight levels are within the appropriate range? or that they think these are the only things to make resolutions about?)
I must at this point pause to disclose I am a dedicated resolution maker, a committed goal setter of short and long term goals in every facet of my life. How else do I know if I've had a good day, week, month, year, decade? What gets measured, gets done, whether it's determined on December 31 or at any other time of year.
I wonder about those who say they do not set resolutions... does that mean they never resolve to do anything? Or that they do it at other times of the year? If they didn't make resolutions, then surely nothing would ever get done...? Do they only resolve to do what needs doing as a reactive impulse? Do they allow life to happen to them and simply make decisions on the fly? Are these people living lives where there is so much uncertainty that they have given up making concrete plans about anything? I imagine a politician or leader of a very large business giving up making plans for dinner, weekends away or books to read, living a life where they never know what their constituents, employees, media or other stakeholders will throw at them each day. In a life of curve balls, is each batting decision made only once the direction and speed of the ball is determined, at the very last minute?
Given I am such a goal setting, resolution making planner, I really can't see how the opposite is workable. I need such a non resolution maker to show me!
Now for the other common thread of resolutions I have seen that got me saying hmm...
"I want to spend more time with my family"
"I want to take more time out for myself"
"I am going to try to be more patient with the children"
"I am going to leave the office before 6pm a few times per week"
etc etc etc
The hmm moment came when I thought how relatively easy these things are to do... they're also relatively easy not to do.
The old adage "the best things in life are free" is oft quoted and, in my opinion, rarely properly understood.
If we as a generation and a population truly understood these wise words, then surely we wouldn't hear our friends, family and colleagues set wistful resolutions such as those above.
We can spend as much or as little time with our family as we choose.
We can spend as much time on ourselves - exercising, meditating, reading, learning, laughing - as we choose.
We can take a breath, practice, determine to be more patient with our children - it's a choice.
We can leave the office, once our "shift" is over, whenever we choose.
These choices are independent of our finances, our gender, our socioeconomic status - we have complete control, yet its as easy to choose to do these things as it is to choose not to do them.
And that's why New Year's Resolutions are so valuable and why so many people take the opportunity whilst on holidays, surrounded by friends, family and Christmas spirit. It's a time when we have time to reflect, reflect on our choices, our habits and what we might like to change in the year ahead. For whilst its easy to choose to do or not to do the things we know we should, force of habit means we're often not aware we have a choice to make, and making resolutions is a great way to kick start a change in habits.
Everyone has an opinion on the best way to make and stick to resolutions, there are articles and books easily found all over the internet.
I'm not going to lecture on my way of doing things, I am simply suggesting that the best way to stick to good new year resolutions is to make them in the first place. Oh, and perhaps share them with your family and friends so they can support you, hold you accountable and celebrate with you when you achieve your goals.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas and experiences on new year's resolutions, please feel free to share them.
PS: If your resolutions include continuing lifelong learning, networking more and being more organised, our events hunter website is the perfect place to find all the events that can help get you there. Go to www.eventshunter.com.au
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