new year's resolutions

the year 2007 is coming to an end and the year 2008 is beginning.  the start of a new year is often marked by resolutions we make to try to better do the things we want to do.  some of us make resolutions to exercise more, to eat better, to give up smoking, to be a better person, and so forth.  unfortunately, our resolutions often have a lifespan not much longer than that of a gastrotrich.

so what resolutions should we make for this new year?  and what can we do to make these resolutions a part of our long term daily lives?

to answer the first question, let us think about what is really important to us.  what really matters to us?  what do we really care about?  in other words, what are our priorities?  to help us reflect on what really matters to us, let us consider a question a good friend of mine put before me recently.  if we had one hour to live, what would we do?  where would our attention go?  who would we call?  who would we think about?  what would matter to us in that last hour?  reflecting on this will help us to understand our top priority or priorities.  let us keep these top priorities in mind as we make our resolutions.

to help answer the second question, let us say as an example that living a healthier life is a priority for us.  we will use this example because living a healthier life is  a new year's resolution that many of us adopt.  though, after reflecting upon our priorities, we may make a very different resolution.  still, this resolution provides us a framework for our discussion.

now, if we say that we will resolve to live a more healthy life, let us give some thought to how we will work towards fulfilling that resolution.  in other words, what actions are needed for us to make living a healthy life a priority for us?  because just saying that we want to live a healthier life isn't going to make us live a healthier life.  our actions must reflect that desire to live a healthier life.

giving some thought, we decide that an exercise regimen and the adoption of a healthy and balanced diet will allow us to work towards that resolution.

now, we must make that exercise regimen and that healthy and balanced diet part of our daily lives.  if living a healthier life is a priority for us, we must allot the necessary time for it.  we must make time in our daily routine to go to work out.  if we say that we are too busy, it is easy to not find time.  but if we resolve that we must work out, then even on the busiest of days, we will find the time to work out.

and during that time that we allot, we must also give it the necessary attention.  while we are working out, we must remain focused and make good use of the time we have dedicated.  if we go to the gym but spend a few minutes on one machine and a few minutes with another machine and feel unmotivated, if we aren't focused, then what is the point of going to the gym?  we must attend to our activity with resolve.  we must have a positive attitude - that we can do it and that we will do it well.

remembering that living a healthy life is a priority for us, we must never forget to give the needed time and attention.  these two thing - time and attention - are necessary in order for us to be successful in our resolution.

so, to summarize:

1. we want to reflect upon what is important to us.  we want to have a clear understanding about our priorities.
2. we want to understand what actions are required for us to work towards those priorities.
3. we want to make those actions that will help us work towards our priorities a part of our daily routine.
4. we want to dedicate the required time and attention to those actions so that we can be successful in those priorities.
5. we want to have a positive attitude as we attend to those actions.

happy new year, and good luck with your resolutions!