Ah yes, another new year. Time to start anew, time to start
over with positive thoughts, big plans and big ideas...and of course, the dreaded
resolutions. “This is the year!” we
claim. "This time we are going to make it happen." We are going to lose weight, hit the gym 5
days a week, were going to be more punctual, stop procrastinating, save time, and of course...save
money. We’re going to clean out the
closet, garage AND the attic this year.
We’re going to learn another language, donate time to our favorite charity, and with
our left over day on Sunday, we’re going to start going to church (unless there’s
a game on t.v.)! Yup, like most people, we’ve
said one or all of these things to ourselves at least one New Year’s Eve in our
lifetime. Personally, I think most
resolutions are made while people are drinking on December 31st for a reason. Seems to me, we quickly break
these resolutions because we know that “legally” we can’t make deals or sign
any “contractually binding” documents while under the influence of alcohol...hmmm.
Anyway, kidding aside, I think the
real problem with resolutions are simply the resolutions themselves. We like to make these grand proclamations of the
things we plan to change or do differently in our lives this year that are just
not realistic for us to successfully tackle.
So with that in mind, I believe that everyone this year should all have
the same resolution. I think that 2014
should be the year of the “realistic resolution”. That’s right, don’t set yourself up for
failure, keep it real and keep it simple. Make the goal
attainable. There is a reason that the expression; “never bite off more than
you can chew” is still in use today. Heck, if all the kids now get trophies
just for participating in sports, maybe all we grownups should get an “attaboy”
and a “pat on the back” for just trying to make a resolution that we can
keep. Think about it; instead of saying
you’re going to lose 40 lbs this year, let’s make it 20 instead. That’s only 5 lbs every quarter or every 3
months, that’s doable. Let’s not sign up
for an annual pass to the gym or a whole year of yoga classes just yet. See if you can make it twice a week, instead of
saying you’re going 5 times. In the end,
making it 2 times a week will add up to way more workouts by year’s end, than
the 5 time resolution when you quit going in March.
The old promise of cleaning out the closets and reorganizing the
garage and the attic..how about just trying to keep your desktop organized and the
car free from Starbucks coffee cups and empty water bottles. That’s a good start. And the whole “I’m going to learn another
language this year” thing, instead of trying to be fluent in Mandarin by next
Christmas, how about learning a joke or two in Mandarin and dropping them in during
conversations at those backyard bbq’s this Summer. Sure, you’ll probably be the only one
laughing, but you’ll sound pretty darn clever doing it.
By now, I think you get the point.
By keeping your resolutions “realistic” they become more achievable, and
you become more successful. Then, next
year after you realize what you achieved this year, then you can “raise the ante”
(if you will) next year. Who knows, if
enough of us make our resolutions more realistic, maybe it would eventually
catch on with the celebrity crowd.
Imagine...Miley Cyrus being able to keep her clothes on public, or Lindsay
Lohan staying out of jail. Oh wait, what
was that whole keeping resolutions more realistic thing again? Oh well, there’s always next year.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the groves.
-Farmer Tony
