New Year's Resolutions, anyone?
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| Thu, 12-28-2006 - 11:16am |
Do you "torture" yourself with New Year's Resolutions every year? ;)) How do they work out for you, looking back? Are they worth it? Do they really make any difference in your life? What's your secret for making these resolutions come true for yourself? Here's an article from Beliefnet that has some good information about the pitfalls and how to succeed:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20613_1.html
from the beginning of the article:
"Resolutions That Stick
To follow through with the goals you set for yourself this New Year, you must change your attitude and behavior.
By M.J. Ryan
"This year, I’m going to stop worrying so much."
"I will get in shape, once and for all."
"I’ll stop spending beyond my means."
"I’ll get along better with my family."
"I’ll start that business I’ve always dreamed about."
Have you made a resolution similar to one of these? Some of us want to lose weight, become more organized, or quit smoking. Others want to find a sense of purpose, more work/life balance, the courage to leave an unfulfilling career and start over. Whether it’s New Year’s Day, an important birthday, or just because we’re fed up, at some point we vow to make that one leap or give up the thing that plagues us. But by the time the rosy blush of good intentions wears off, the resolution gets pushed aside. Not because we don’t still long to have what we want, but because we just don’t know how to change.
We say we’re going to change, we may even do it for a little while, but soon we find ourselves back to our old habits. Depending on what survey you’ve paying attention to, approximately 45 percent of us make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8 percent succeed. Ninety percent of heart patients don’t stick to the lifestyle changes they need to live longer and healthier lives. Even faced with the dramatic choice to change or die, they can’t do it. I don’t believe they want to die. They just don’t know how to make the choice for life.
Part of the problem is that we’re flooded by bad advice. Right now, I’m staring at a women’s magazine. It’s the November 28th issue and the headline blares: YOU, 43 LBS SLIMMER By Christmas! I’m sorry but you, no matter who you are, are not going to be 43 pounds slimmer in 28 days using their diet or anyone else’s. Such irresponsible "advice" does a great deal of harm. Because it creates unrealistic expectations, it increases the probability we’ll give up before we get where we want to go.
You and I can change. Not just superficially, or temporarily. We can stop doing the things that hold us back or cause us suffering and create a life filled with meaning and happiness. But it’s not easy, as anyone who has tried to change a habit or do something new knows."
(article continues...)
Gypsy
)O(

The only New Year's resolution I've ever kept... was several years ago when I resolved to stop making them.
"I’ll stop spending beyond my means."
I think this one goes just about the same way for almost anyone. I have a certain budget to work with and need my expenses to be within this set amount to be determined. My NY's resolution is to work with money in a financial budget accordingly and appropriately. Especially if all other things fall behind, health & well-being needs have to be placed before all others and anything else.
I have made many resolutions for this next year! These are things I want to work on regaurdless of it being the new year or not, but this seems like a good time to give it a try ;)
I will be working on money issues, sticking to my budget and tracking my spending. I started "snowflaking" my bills in October and it is really working well for me and I am *seeing* the results. I am working on organization and simplifying my home, less clutter = less stress. I recently moved and want to get my new home in order and create a peaceful sanctuary. I also set some goals for personal well being such as drinking more water, learning to meditate, and practicing yoga. Things I already have an interest in and worked on throughout this last year.
I feel that I am being realistic and not doing things all at once. I will spread out my goals and work on one at a time. It may take me years to complete them all and create habits or I might change my mind, but having goals is something that keeps me going. Plus now that I have graduated college and have a good job I have first hand knowledge of how good it feels to complete a goal ;)
*Star*
I used to make them . . . and then I'd "beat myself up" for not sticking to them!! So then I quit making any altogether ~ which didn't seem great either.
Now I think/plan in terms of *directions* in which I'd like to move within the year, rather than spelling out specifics. So, rather then saying something like "I will loose so many pounds", I'll say something to the effect of "I'm going to pay more attention to my eating and excersizing, I'm going to cut back on sugar, drink more water and walk the dog *more often*" (no specifics). And those seem to work MUCH better!
This year I'm planning on "paying more attention to where I let my mind wander & cutting back on negative self-talk"! As a way of training my mind I want to start meditating more often (notice I didn't say *daily* or set any specifics) just "more" (well, nearly anything is more than what I currently do so I can't loose *wink*)!!
Happy New Year, Everyone! Hope 007 is Fab for you!
Namasthe, "M"
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