It
is the end of the year and people are either posting a recap of their
blog or posting about the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions. I say dreaded
because:
Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals.
Thanks Wikipedia! With such a low success rate, I’m suprised this continues to be a tradition. And apparently:
Resolutions are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining your resolution. Peer-support makes a difference in success rate with new year's resolutions
So I thought I share my thoughts and New Year’s Resolutions. First I want to share what my boss told me:
Boss: I spoke with some friends about New Year’s Resolution and they said they are going to do achievable resolutions. My friend Leonard's last year’s resolution was to buy curtains and he did it. It was something he didn’t own because every place he lived in had something but it was something he wanted and has been meaning to get.
BOOM! Mind blowing, right? Setting a resolution you can actually achieve and be happy with. Imagine that! This got me to thinking about what’s wrong with most resolutions; they are too abstract.
Here’s a list of the most popular resolutions
Improve well-being (i.e LOSE WEIGHT)
Improve Career
Improve Education
Improve Finances
Wow,
these all sound great but...uh...how do I achieve them? I guess you are
supposed to think about that during the year but 88% of us are not doing that because we are failing at our resolution. So why not cut to the chase and pick one
thing. Here’s my list of resolutions. I’ll list the abstract and then
the achievable version I actually intend on doing:
Abstract
|
Achievable
|
| Improve well-being | Ride my stationary bike 10 minutes a day |
| Be more creative | Design 5 print pieces to sell on Etsy |
| Finish decorating/furnishing our home | Buy a credenza for the dining room |
| Finish decorating/furnishing our home | Paint/Draw and frame 5 pictures to be hung on walls |
| Volunteer more | Continue working with Activated Spaces and find 5 places I would like to volunteer and choose one |
Notice how 5 is my go to number and how there are 5 resolutions listed. I'm try to accomplish just one of these resolutions and if I do I will feel succesful. If I complete one early, I may go on to the next one but I'm not going to feel terrible if I don't.
Anyone else have a resolution(s) they would like to share?
I never make resolutions because I'm always trying to improve.
ReplyDeleteBut last year I tried giving up cheap cigars and was mostly successful.
So here is to no cheap cigars in 2012!!
Happy New Years!!
We didn't exactly make resolutions but my husband and I set a date (which was December 27) to sit down at the table and talk about goals for 2012. They were all meaningful things we're always intended on doing but we put off (example-make an emergency kit for us in case of a natural disaster or worse [terrorist attack, etc]). We wrote down 14 things and then I typed it up with dates that we thought throughout the year that we can achieve them by. It felt really awesome.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this blogpost! It's so inspiring. I'm going to try this. In craft form, too, probably.
ReplyDelete@5chw4r7z hah, that's a good idea! I'm going to avoid cheap tequila which should be a rule for life. Happy New Year to you!!
ReplyDelete@Jen Thanks for the comment! Sounds like a neat idea... but terrorist attack? Hmm...
@Nidhizzle yay, thanks! It would sure work for crafts! Your post on 30 days of craft was great for ideas :)
Hurray for achievable resolutions! Mine is pretty simple -- I want to carve out more quality time for the people I care about. I've noticed us slipping into a really bad habit of relying too much on things like Facebook to keep up with each other, and it's pretty superficial. It's like we've traded intimacy for snark, you know? So, I'm making more time to see my Cincinnati friends, doing more interesting things, and also setting aside time for phone dates and substantial emails, for my long-distance friends.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good! I've written a few lengthy emails, cut back on Facebook time, and saw this exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center with a friend, before it comes down in a couple of weeks:
http://contemporaryartscenter.org/exhibitions/miniatures
Honestly, I only wanted to go just because it seemed lame to miss the current batch of exhibit altogether, especially since the CAC is a few blocks from y house and free on Monday nights. As it turned out, it's an amazing show, and I'm so, so grateful that I was able to see it. So, I'm already feeling pretty happy about my resolution!
@VisuaLingual What a great a resolution! I quit facebook about 3 years ago but use mostly quick emails so taking the time to call or send a long email is such a good idea to stay connected. Also, the exhibition sounds really neat.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your resolution is going so well! Which reminds me that I should share the status of my own resolution periodically. Seems like resolutions don't get talked about much pass the first month of the year, so I aim to change that and post about this again :)