New Year Resolutions

Filed in National by on January 2, 2010

A link to The Happiness Project was sent to me by a friend, and the author — Gretchen Rubin — has one of the better approaches I’ve read for crafting New Year’s resolutions that you’ll keep:

1. Ask: “What would make me happier?” […]

2. Ask: “What is a concrete action that would bring about change?” One common problem is that people make abstract resolutions, which are hard to keep. […]

3. Ask: “Am I a ‘yes’ resolver or a ‘no’ resolver?” Some people resent negative resolutions. They dislike hearing “don’t” or “stop” or adding to their list of chores. If this describes you, try to find positive resolutions […]

4. Ask: “Am I starting small enough?” Many people make super-ambitious resolutions and then drop them, feeling defeated, before January is over. Start small! […]

5. Ask: “How am I going to hold myself accountable?” Accountability is the secret to sticking to resolutions. That’s why groups like AA and Weight Watchers are effective, and there are many ways to hold yourself accountable. […]

There’s more to each of these tips and links to further detail and tools at the link above.

Personally, I’m not so good at New Year’s Resolutions, but am working out some new strategies to get healthier this year.

So how about you? Have you made any New Year’s resolutions for this year?

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"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." -Shirley Chisholm

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  1. stone pony says:
    January 2, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions or perused your link yet. I did read and eventually purchased a copy of the January 2010 Woman’s Day Magazine which contains a synopsis of Ms. Rubin’s tome. I don’t usually purchase this magazine, but after reading several articles at the doctor’s office I was enticed to make the purchase. The article emphasizes starting out small and slowly building your resolutions as the year progresses rather than the “boot camp ethic” in which resolutions wane after a few weeks or days. The author also provides her yearlong plan which contains progressive, logical monthly resolutions, such as, “boost energy” (January), “remember love” (February), “make time for friends” (June), and “pursue a passion” (September), as an example. Article follow-ups can be found at womansday.com/happiness. The article mentions other links with Twitter and Facebook. Let’s make it a great New Year!

    P.S.: There were also some interesting Italian slow-cooker recipes in the magazine for warming up the winter heart and soul!

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