Who invented New Year’s resolutions and what are they?
From what I understand, the practice of celebrating New Year’s day, and making New Year resolutions first started with the Babylonians!
Wikipedia Says That: A New Year’s Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.
In other words, it’s a goal that one sets at the beginning of the year, and hopefully achieved by the end of that year.
During the 1980′s I began speaking at meetings at the end of the year about New Year’s resolutions, making them, and carrying them out!
My research, observations and experience taught me the following:
A lot of people make New Years resolutions in a flippant fashion, while talking with friends, and because there is no real commitment there, they don’t carry them out.
Other people may think long and hard about resolutions, but only look at the goal they want to achieve, rather than the process which is going to help them make it to fulfillment!
Others still make an impractical commitment. For instance, the end of year holiday period isn’t the time to make a committment to stop smoking, start a diet or cut down on alcohol consumption.
The simple reason for this is that it’s usually a time of indulgence, and the commitment can be broken almost unconsciously.
How do I make a commitment that will stick?
Firstly, think about the goal, and what you need to do to achieve it. For instance, if the goal is to quit smoking, work out a strategy.
If you smoke in your home, make a commitment to make it smoke free. Once you have done that, work out which cigarette of the day is your favourite. Cut this one out first.
Once you have achieved this, make your car smoke free, and then cut out the next favourite ciggy, and so on.
Yes, if you need to, you can try patches, counselling and so on along the way – take all the help that you can get.
Breaking your goal down into easy, bite sized chunks is the key to success.
Twenty three years ago, I decided that I wanted to get married.
The trouble was, I didn’t think that at that time I was the sort of person that would make a good husband.
What I did was start looking at successful relationships, and talking to older men whom I considered were mentors, and asking what had made their relationships successful.
The key change that I made in my life at that time was to stop acting like a single man waiting for something to happen.
In effect, I made a commitment to become the sort of man who would make a good husband.
Earlier this month, my wife and I celebrated twenty one years of marriage.
Being successful with a goal means making a commitment. Anything else is just a wish…
Summing Up:
1) Set a goal that is both achievable, and measurable.
2) Break the goal into bite sized chunks, or smaller goals.
3) Write the goal down, and keep a diary of how you are going.
4) Tell close friends/family about your goal – if possible ask them to back you up. A public commitment is more likely to succeed!
Have a great 2008 – Happy New Year!
