New Year’s resolutions, better known as casual promises that you are under no legal obligation to keep, are generally not for me.
Rather than setting myself up to fail, I prefer to cut out the middleman and jump straight to not doing things.
But 3 years ago, I came up with a resolution I could actually keep. It had everything an achievable goal should have.
It was specific ― not vague or lofty, like “take more pictures of cats” or “ strive to master making origami cranes” ― it was a small, daily task with measurable results. And it was intrinsically motivated — I was doing this for me and me alone.
My resolution: drink more alcohol. And I did it. I’m still doing it today. Matter of fact, I’m doing it right now.
It’s a valiant effort.
Statistics show that 92% drop their New Year’s Resolution in about 7 minutes flat. If you are very, very quiet, you can hear them breaking all over the world.
My New Year’s resolution is to be more active. Sexually.
Developing a good habit, or breaking a bad one, isn’t easy, as anyone who has endeavoured to make a New Year’s resolution can attest.It is now well-known that there is no magic time interval to make a habit. Not 21 days, not 30 days for majestic abs, not 66 days to stop late night snacking.
The best way to begin a new habit is to set the bar incredibly low. You pick something so small, it’s easy to do. For instance, you want a tidy house, then start with tidying up your bathroom. Every Day. That’s it.
Motivation is not required and you never raise the minimum. The goal remains to only tidying up your bathroom – everyday. Anything more is a bonus. If you want to maintain the habit, and hopefully one day exceed it, you need to be okay with just doing the original version of it.
My New Year’s Resolution is to be a nicer person. Stop laughing. I can do this.
There was a study led by Kaitlin Woolley from Cornell University and Ayelet Fishbach from the University of Chicago in 2016, who found that the enjoyment factor was the only thing that mattered in keeping New Year’s Resolutions.In other words, if you get immediate rewards from your new habits, you will be more likely to stick to them.
This past year I went to the gym four times. My New Year’s resolution is to cut that number in half.
It’s something like the age old age battle of doing what you want to do, and not what you should do -– like always returning your grocery cart and not wearing questionable fashion statements.
“Should-ing” on yourself is never a good idea. It only leads to guilt, shame, remorse, and probably more drinking.
Take that one word, “should” out of your vocabulary, and you may stand a fighting chance of scaling the heights of sorting through those closets, tackling the garage, or thinning out the filing cabinets.
“Should” implies that whatever you are planning is only a possibility, not a reality. In other words, you’re giving yourself an excuse simply by saying you “should” do something, rather than you “will” do something.
I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I think my New Year’s Resolution is to spend most of 2019 in a kaftan.
The secret also lies in not overthinking. As Nike says, Just Do It, and pretty soon and before you know it, you may find yourself deep in recycling bags. That is, after you take that 30 minute walk that you vowed to do everyday since 1804.
I know, I’m being surprisingly unhelpful.
So, as someone dragging a trail of abandoned yoga mats and full water bottles, it’s nice to finally see the bottom of a promise fulfilled. And, yes, refilled.
My New Year’s Resolution will to become more assertive, if that’s okay with you, guys.
By the way, January 17 isNational Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day, or in the case of a small majority, the anniversary of Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba’s Assassination.
Here’s to a powerful and cheerful year. Let’s get started.
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