My vote is YES for New Year’s Resolutions

Deepak Chopra said, “We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.” The quote made me smile, but we could all feel like that now. Our credit cards are bulging, and our bank accounts are starving. Christmas can be a time of giving and getting too much.

New Year’s Resolutions come to the rescue! New Year’s Resolutions are commitments to make changes that will improve our lives. We might try to lose weight, quit smoking, connect more with friends, exercise, show more patience, live within a budget, clean the garage, start a hobby, write a new resume΄, open a college account, etc. No matter the resolution, only 12% achieve their goals. Life happens, and the enthusiasm we had on December 31st gets lost.

Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions? Eighty-eight percent of people fail and probably feel disappointed, frustrated, defeated, stupid, disgusted, or any other combination of negative feelings. That sounds like self-punishment or masochistic behavior. Still, we continue to start January 1st with New Year’s resolutions.

My vote is YES for New Year’s Resolutions. Why? They help evaluate present situations, think about improving where we are or what we are doing, plan for change, and move in a positive direction. It is the one time of year that we look back and ask critical questions concerning what we want/need to change. Even if we start and fail, we have acknowledged the change we want.

After this holiday season, if you are stressing about money and your house is overflowing with all the Christmas gifts, what would be better than writing down your New Year’s Resolutions? Set a budget, talk to the family about how to stay within the budget. Let everyone have some ownership in recovering from the extravagance. After all, everyone reaped the benefits; it is okay to cut back. Plan a garage sale or a trip to your favorite charity. Have everyone clean up their own space and give away excess. So what if it only lasts a few days? In those few days, many lessons were learned, and a priority was established.

Without the year’s end and the hopes of a new year, we might go year to year and never have a universal occasion that promotes change and encourages improvement. So make your New Year’s Resolutions and start them enthusiastically on January 1st. The odds are slim that you will maintain the momentum, so do as much as you can as early as possible. Then, pat yourself on the back for whatever changes you make.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.