The Laughing Wolf

New Year’s Resolutions

Let’s face it: Most people are not serious about them. At best, they have good intentions towards them, but at worst they are a token to be thrown to the winds come New Year’s Day. Which is sad in a way, for the new year is a great time to take stock of our lives, both the good and the other.

Now, I say “the other” because not all things that are not good or pleasurable are bad. Some are beneficial, unfortunately in the same way bad tasting medicine can be. We need it, we are glad for it, but we sure as heck don’t like it. Some are things that can best be described as neutral, for they do us no harm but do us no good either. Others are things that either are bad or can lead to bad things, so we need to change them.

One reason so many people “fail” at New Year’s Resolutions is that they tend to concentrate on, and emphasize, the negative. They also are almost always passive. To make things work, look at changing this around a bit.

Instead of concentrating on the negative aspect (here at the lair it is the deer belly), find a way to emphasize the positive aspect involved. No huge as a whale type stuff, but the goal and the rewards that come from achieving the goal are the focus. Instead of looking at going to the gym, the resolution focuses on the end, as if it were already achieved.

To make it easy, here is a hypothetical example of a list made this way:

1. I am down to a fit 32-inch waist, with a resting pulse of 50 and excellent endurance, a low cholesterol level, and have been able to quit taking most medicines.

2. I have met my other half and we are married; together, we complete each other and are so much more than we ever could be apart, and our marriage is a strong one.

3. I have a new job and it is providing stability for finances, marriage, and life.

4. All debts are paid, we are building our home, and we have the money we need for living life

Notice, there is no emphasis on how things are done, such as unrealistic goals about the gym, eating less, or eating better. What matters is the end result, and the benefits, and that is where you should concentrate. The means of getting there will take place, if you work at it.

Now, the other trick to having successful resolutions is to visualize them already done. See yourself as you want to be at the end of the year. If you want to be married, visualize the person beside you even if you have to leave the face or some particulars blurry. If you want to be married and have kids, don’t be greedy and save some things for next year.

All that is left now is to make the resolutions come true. That does take work and effort, but by concentrating on the result you are far more likely to get it done, and far less likely to be overwhelmed in the doing.

Remember, it will take work. There is a saying that has come down through the ages in different forms, but it goes something like this: “The Earth/Gods/Lord will provide, but She/They/He like the taste of human sweat. You will have to work for it, for the good fairy is not going to just wave the magic wand and make it all happen at once for you.

So, go now and think about things. Don’t forget to include results that maintain and enrich the good things in your life as well. That way, you will be sure to appreciate and keep them with you in the year ahead.

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