Tag Archives: resolutions

A New Year, A Resolution

“I have my New Year’s resolutions,” Romo announced.

“Let me see,” I replied, taking the extended piece of paper.

“I limited the list to three,” he said. “Last year, I wrote down six and gave up on all of them within a month. Maybe I can focus a bit harder.”

“First, I commend you for writing these down,” I nodded. “Writing requires thinking. Why do you think last year’s resolutions were abandoned so quickly?”

“I don’t know. When I came up with them, they seemed easy enough to do, but, then life happened and the wheels came off.”

“The problem with resolutions is they seem to be something to do,” I replied.  “The way you write them, the way you speak them uses an old voice. If those resolutions were already within the person who wrote them, they would have been accomplished long ago. The change is not with something you do. The change is with who you are. Only a new person can accomplish the things on this list. It is a new year, who is the new you?”

Timespan of Intention

It’s January, with resolutions, goal setting, annual planning.

Most of our intentions are short-sighted. We focus on the what, not the by-when. Perhaps this year we examine the timespan of our intention as closely as the intention itself?

Instead of how many pounds can I lost by the end of Feb (when most resolutions are abandoned), we might ask what lifestyle changes we can make to add ten years to our life. What is the timespan of your intention?

Sometimes, the most important impact is not a major initiative. Sometimes, the major impact is shifting a small habit that is insidiously killing you. Or a small habit shift that will pay off in spades five years from now.

Think about your habits that support your success, habits that detract. What is the timespan of your intention?