Let Go of New Year's Resolutions

Once again you blink and it feels like another year has passed us by. It has been an interesting one for so many reasons. But, as the old cliche goes, what does not kill us will absolutely make us stronger. Thinking back on the things I have accomplished and of course the things I have yet to accomplish, there is nothing I would change about this year. I believe in God's plan and of course the work I must put into it. I learn from my repeated attempts.  The other word people use is failure, but as far as a "do-over"....I'm good! I subscribe to the notion that everything happens for a reason and there is nothing that occurs by random chance or by coincidence. My faith helps me feel so secure and have zero regrets about things I have no ability to change. This mindset helped me let go of New Year's resolutions.

For the past few years, I have made a commitment to myself to focus less on big New Year's resolutions and more on lifestyle changes and bite-sized goals. I'll come back to the goals in a moment. I do understand and appreciate the desire to begin every new year with a clean slate. It can be rejuvenating to start with an idea, a project...a resolution at the start of each year. But why wait? If the idea is important, let's get it started the moment it occurs.

Every day I like to read the goals I've written (all date-stamped), to keep me on track and keep me accountable to my plans. Reading and reminding myself of my goals also sparks other ideas as I speak my plans into existence and visualize whatever it is I am working on.

I have found that I achieve more success when I set SMART goals - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound - at 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day milestones. It is a bit like that old proverb with instructions on how to eat an elephant. One bite at a time is how I break down my big goals. As I have success with one or two goals I start working on another one and add a new goal along with my plan to crush it. It's become my lifestyle.

These are my thoughts on why you should not set a New Year's resolution. My suggestion is to think about those things that matter to you, pace yourself and then take small bites you can chew.

Eating better is great if that is a goal. My life has been so much better since I made a lifestyle change about five years ago, rather than resolutions I would go hard with for about two months then become unmotivated by. Same story with the gym and my workouts. Not until I began setting goals about what I wanted to achieve did I start seeing the results that I wanted. I didn't feel defeated, I knew there had to be a reason. I've since learned some lessons and could not be happier.

I realize there are plenty of people who make resolutions and see them through. I wasn't one of them. What's your take? Are you pro-resolution or do you think you should not set a New Year's resolution? Regardless, let's own and crush 2018. Happy New Year!