New Year Resolutions - Hot or Not?
By Louise Davies
Are you rubbish at keeping New Year's resolutions even though the media is bombarding you with advice and encouragement? Fear not, Louise Davies, Expert New Year Resolution Breaker, has some sound advice which could just transform your life ...
Yes folks, it's that time of year when we reminisce over 2007 and evaluate where our lives are at. It's that time when we formulate our New Year's resolutions and try to keep them. Are you ready? Is the world ready to greet the new and improved you? Erm … may be not!
If you are remotely normal (and I sincerely hope you are!) then your New Year's resolutions will not last into February. If you are like me they won't last into next week! So what's the problem? We are not short of encouragement. Every television programme and newspaper in the nation are gearing us up for this life transformation, we are bombarded with lifestyle shows and advertisements encouraging us to lose weight, quit smoking, get fit etc, and New Year's Day is on a Monday (if you have ever tried to lose weight you know that this is by far the best day of the week to start your cabbage leaf diet!) … so why can only very few of us keep to and achieve these lofty aims?
I'm afraid that I haven't done extensive research into the subject of New Year's resolutions but please may I offer my humble opinion as a result of setting and breaking them for over 30 years. Resolutions and the commitment to improve our lives are indeed a worthy ambition but unless there is sincere motivation behind them you will not achieve your goals. Sincere motivation has to come from anger. Unless you are incredibly angry and upset about your current situation you will never resolve to live differently. There has to be a switch within you that flicks and refuses to be switched back. Every day you need to wake up with the resolve that you will succeed. You need to make yourself accountable to other people and allow them to speak into your life if you should stray from your commitment. There is a fight within you that needs to unleash hell on to your bad habits.
If you have this resolve to change drastically … go for it! Get on our forum and let us know when you succeed. You are an inspirational magazine article waiting to happen!
And now to the rest of us who would like to change but really deep down the resolve just isn't there. Do not despair! A new improved you is just around the corner. Instead of taking the fully charged motivated unleashing hell approach, how about the Bran Flakes method? We've all the seen the advert. The man is dressed in his jogging suit ready to embark on his new daily running regime. He reaches his front gate, thinks better of it, and sits down to eat a bowl of Kelloggs Bran Flakes instead. A ridiculous advert but a profound truth behind it. By just a small alteration to his life our jogger will become healthier. If you really want to change in 2008 why not set achievable goals that will make a difference. Things like substituting an apple for that daily packet of crisps, walking up the steps to your office instead of using the lift, or going to the art gallery instead of watching television all day will indeed reap benefits for your life.
I recently read that instead of setting resolutions we should embark on mini adventures. I like it! Why not set a list of things that you would like to achieve in 2008? Simple things like visiting a museum, reading a book, keeping a diary, writing to a long lost friend, or trying a new sport will all make a big difference. At the end of 2008 instead of seeing yourself a resolution failure you will enjoy being a more rounded individual. Don't you think that it is time to release the Indiana Jones within you? Set your mini adventures and say hello to the brand new you!
Louise is a Director of Hope City Enterprise, the community charity of the Megacentre, Sheffield. She is also the host of Sheffield's Night of Honour. Louise is married to Chris and they have a very cute son called Thomas.