The Tradition of New Years Resolutions
The tradition of taking a resolution at New Year and fulfill it in the coming year, dates back to the early Babylonians.
The Babylonians believed that what a person does on the first day of the New Year will affect him or her throughout the year. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. New Year's Resolutions offer the first of many important tools for remaking ourselves.
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Piercre
In December or early January, almost everyone is minted up by the desire to plan a wonderful New Year! We plan vacations, and we imagine that any goal can be achieved. We eagerly make New Year's Resolutions and set our biggest goals ever! It's a perfect time to reflect on the changes we want to or need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.
Resolutions if carried out successfully not only act as short-term goals to success but also help in improving life and overcoming those habits, which we ourselves do not like.
The unfortunate reality, of course, is that for most people the year goes by
with little or no change. We do our jobs and live our lives, but our dreams
don't come true. Some things do change, but life doesn't seem all that
different. Not really. Not like we hoped.
The New Year is a good time to make resolutions but what is the point of
resolutions if we can't keep them? Do you also want to have a resolution for the year 2007?
Tips for New Year Resolution
1. Go Public:Those who say one thing and do another are labeled unreliable, hypocritical and even inconsistent. Tell everyone at home, work, gym, church, etc about your goal. The fear of being ill labeled or looked at as inconsistent by those who think highly of you will psychologically pressure you to follow through. Daily tell 3 different people about your goal.
2. Don’t Wait: Never wait for the right time, the right motivation, or the right intuition. For they will only come AFTER you have taken the initial step. Whether you are motivated or not, take one action daily towards attaining the goal you wish to put off. Then motivation will follow.
3. Make Your Resolution "Quit-Proof": The more you invest into something, the harder it’s to give up on it. Invest more time, more energy, and if necessary, more capital towards the realization of that which you are pursuing. The less you have to lose, the easier it’s to quit. Invest daily towards the attainment of your goal.
4. Locate the Opportunities: Though you cannot see them, opportunities are all around you. It’s only when you are ready for them that they will be ready for you. Remember, when the musician is ready, the tune will appear. So get ready.
5. Get Ready: True readiness comes from acting on that which you are not ready for. As Aristotle once said, “The things you have to learn before you can do them, you learn by doing them.” Plunge into it, and then you’ll be ready.
6. Develop Momentum: One small action can build the excitement and the urge to continue or even finish what before you didn’t feel like doing. That’s how momentum is created. Just take one small step even if you don't feel like it and momentum will eventually emerge.
7. Start Every Day With the Next Step: Every morning, ask yourself, “What action would I take towards accomplishing my goal if success was guaranteed?” Then take that very action in spite of any reluctance.
8. Overcome Reluctance: Keep in mind that easy things when done with reluctance become difficult, and difficult things when done with cynicism become impossible. Move beyond reluctance with the right anticipation.
9. Anticipate Success: This is probably the simplest, but most overlooked item of the list. Pure and simple “belief” that you CAN do this! I love what Earl Nightingale says: “You become what you think about most of the time.”
Here’s to making this years Resolutions stick!
Doug & Ronda Bauknight
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