Many of us tend to make New Year Resolutions. In a previous post, I had also suggested some resolutions that we could all make to bring small and positive changes to the communities in which we live. Then there are some New Year resolutions that ought NOT to be made. Here are some resolutions not to make and why:
You didn’t or could not do it last year – what makes you think you can do it this year! If you’ve tried and failed you could, of course, try again, as the adage goes. Or you could be more realistic and set yourself different targets.
You want to be a better person. You want to be fitter. You want to be more popular. These are all rather nebulous and inexact goals. They are not measurable and hence difficult to achieve.
You may decide that you need to earn more in 2019. To this end, you may conclude that you need to get a better job or ensure that your current boss agrees to a raise. However, there are many imponderables here that could be beyond your control. If you cannot achieve these, you may feel a sense of despondency. Best not to make such resolutions!
If you decide to give up sweets – when you love them, or you decide to cut out carbs – entirely; which would mean a huge lifestyle change! You are unlikely to stick to such an extreme plan. Don’t make extreme resolutions that are more likely to fail than succeed. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
You could decide to lose a lot of weight. You could decide that you will exercise every single day in the coming year – though you exercised about 2 and a half times this year. See where this is going? Yes, that is what I mean: be realistic about your will power, circumstances and resources!
You put off doing something until the first of Jan. Then you put it off a bit more. Before you know it’s February and your New Year resolutions, as well as your good intentions, are history!
If you want to give up smoking or drinking you may think that making a clean, sudden break would be best. Often it isn't. Since many addictions are based on a physical dependency, breaking the habit requires concerted effort and some advance preparation or tapering off.
We all need help from time to time. Some things are simply beyond our abilities. Some things take a team to succeed. And there is no shame in asking for help either! To make sure that you achieve the targets you set for yourself, take others along as well!
If you want to give up smoking, what will you do in the times that you would otherwise have been smoking? If you give up drinking what do you do with your happy hours so to speak? Remember bad habits need to be substituted with good ones, if you want to successfully break them.
You may want a fancy new car in 2019 but do you need it? More importantly, can you afford it? You may think that finding out about fancy new drinks is keeping you socially relevant. Yet it is probably making you guzzle down your hard earned money and presumably doing your liver and waistline no good either. You may think an expensive gym membership is a good idea; but isn't it a better idea to simply get out and walk – as effective and free as well!
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
