I am not sure if you buy into the whole, you have to have a new years resolution, or not. I make them each year and usually I do not fulfill them. I am trying something new this year. I find that there are three categories of people when it comes to resolutions. Those that make crazy impossible resolutions. We will call them the Over Achiever. Then we have the middle of the road person that makes resolutions without much of a plan. We can call them idealists. The last group are those that have quit making resolutions and find them dumb along with everyone else that make resolutions. They will be called the antiresolutionists.
Maybe you can relate to one of the categories and take some action to be better.
Over Achiever: This person likes to make resolutions. The more the merrier. If they overhear a friend talking about their New Year resolution and they like it, they may just take it as theirs. This person continues to talk about New Year resolutions at the New Year party. “What is your New Year resolution.” or “What are you planning to do in 2011 different?”
Idealist: This person makes one maybe two resolutions each year. Has hope in the change, but typically has a common resolution each year. Reads blogs and articles about how to keep New Year resolutions. This person might want to pass along vital info about keeping your resolution if they are nice. Might also find an accountability person with the same hope in resolutions.
Antiresolutionists: This person has been burned by one too many resolutions. Might even become passive aggressive toward those that still have hope or those that have achieved their goal. This person has no hope in the resolution process and does not want to be persuade to change his or her mind.
As you can guess I fit into the Idealist. I like the idea and find hope in changing each year. I have learned a few things over the years that I am willing to pass along. See I am the nice Idealist.
First, here is a list of the top ten resolutions:
1) Spend more time with family or friends
2) Fit in fitness
3) Tame the bulge
4) Quit smoking
5) Enjoy life more
6) Quit drinking
7) Get out of debt
8) Learn something new
9) Help others
10) Get organized
For the most part these are habits that have developed and grown out of control over a long period of time. They have come from years of bad decisions. Yet when people make resolutions like these they expect them to be resolved quick and easy. You know the American way. We want and we want it now. That is why most resolutions fade out by February or March. Mine typically fade during a break from my normal routine. Like when I go on vacation or to a conference, and then I can’t get back into the habit. I have learned to plan accordingly.
Here is some of the best advice I heard recently. Do not focus on the things you hate the most in your life when making a New Year resolution, but focus on the things you are already doing and do them better. So simple, but very powerful.
Fitness is always one that I set each year. This year instead of setting a goal weight for the year I set a calorie intake that should allow me to loose weight each week. No exercise and no food restrictions should get me pass the vacation hurdle.
The other thing I am doing is reading more of my Bible. I have tried the read-straight-through plan and it just does not work for me. I am focused on reading a book of the Bible each week. Instead of jumping all over, reading in context and in outline form. I am using the ESV study bible outline for the reading plan. I know if I want to read all 66 books of the Bible I have to double up some.
So those are my two resolutions, and I hope you would think about what you are already doing and plan to do them better in 2011. Set yourself apart instead of aiming to be mediocre in all things.