7 Rules: For Making Resolutions
December 28, 2011, By Jack Heffron 0 comments
It's time once again for you to issue forth a proclamation or two of your plans for self-betterment in the new year. It's not as easy you might think. But we can help, offering you seven rules to use as guidelines that should put you on the road to success.
1. Make easy ones.
Seriously. Most people attempt unattainable—or at least very difficult—goals when making their New Year's resolutions. Before February they're stewing in a quagmire of failure, feeling terrible about themselves. They haven't even begun acting upon their plan to reorganize their finances, and after two brutally committed weeks at the gym, they are nursing sore muscles while lifting nothing heavier than the TV remote. Make your resolutions reachable and sustainable, and you'll feel much better about yourself, an attitude that will allow you to eventually raise the stakes a bit higher.
2. Balance striving with relaxing.
The typical dad really doesn't need to add one more thing to his to-do list. Your pledge to get back to bicycling every Saturday to get back in shape or to redo your yard landscaping should have a corresponding resolution to do something you enjoy, which might mean doing absolutely nothing. Medical experts say that reducing stress is one of the best moves you can make for your health. Make a resolution to make time to be lazy now and then without feeling guilty.
3. Do it once.
The problem with a lot of resolutions is that they're almost impossible to sustain. We say things like "This year I'm going to be more organized" or "I'm going to the gym at least twice a week." The first time we fail, we get angry and feel bad about ourselves, which causes us to fail again and eventually abandon the goal. While you're busy resolving, put in a couple that require doing one thing one time. Example: "I'm going to clean up and organize my home desk, putting all the papers into folders and into a filing cabinet so I know where to find them when I need them." Presto! You're more organized. You feel good and can build on that feeling.
NEXT: Make a dad-centric resolution.
