Resolutions

It's that time of year again. The time when we look back over the past year to see how far we've come and evaluate our goals to determine what we should strive to do differently next year. For many of us, January 1st is like a clean slate. We can start over, try something new, and resolve that this time will be different.

Of course there are some that will resolve to change something in their life, but not change anything about their beliefs or actions. We all know Albert Einstein's definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results! Sure it seems obvious, but we've all done this! We get stuck in a rut and it is very difficult to dig ourselves out once we're there. So, we keep spinning our wheels without realizing that the hole is getting deeper and deeper.

I believe that many times when we make resolutions we set ourselves up for failure. We do this in several ways. First, we believe that by starting over we can try again to make things perfect. Hear me now everyone, it will never be perfect! We need to learn to let go of this line of thinking, because it will destroy us and all of our good intentions. When we think this way we have sabotaged ourselves before we can ever get started. I know I'm guilty of this. I think this year my mantra for keeping my resolutions will be, "It doesn't have to be perfect". Perhaps if we say this to ourselves enough we will actually start to believe it!

Another way that we set ourselves up to fail is by simply using the wrong tools to accomplish a task. Everyone knows that you can't use a screwdriver to drive nails into a board, and that you can't use a hammer to drive screws into the same board. I'm sure that, though it might be physically possible to do the latter (I'm sure some of you have tried), the end result would fall short of our desired outcome.

So why do we insist on doing the same with our resolutions? All tools are not created equally, and certainly not for the same tasks. If I started a new hobby, something like wood working, then I should probably learn to use the basic tools before I use more complex ones. Start slowly when you're trying to make life changes.

Slowly. Well, that could be part of the problem too. We all want a magic pill. Unfortunately, we'll never see results this way. My mother always used to say, "Patience is a virtue". Let me tell you, patience is a difficult concept for a child. Many times, it's even more difficult as an adult. When we fail to see positive results after a few weeks, or a few days for some of us, then we just stop trying instead of having the patience to be make our goals become reality.

Write down your goals and come up with an action plan to make them a reality. Find the right tools to help you. Want to lose weight? Write down how much weight you want to lose by a specific date and then find a friend, a support group, or a personal trainer to help you reach your goal. If you want to stop smoking, then maybe your doctor could help you determine the best tools and plan of action for you. If you're looking for tools to help you get rid of household clutter and become more organized, then check out FlyLady.net. She has a lot of good ideas to help you get your life and your home in order.

Whatever your resolution might be, don't expect for it to happen immediately. It has taken years for us to develop the bad habits we're trying to break, so we're not going to fix them overnight. Be patient, think positively, use the right tools, and remember that it doesn't have to be perfect!