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Why I Don’t Make New Year Resolutions

Posted in Brownsville, Personal Site, Rio Grande Valley by editor
January 3, 2009

As the calendar flips from 2008 to 2009 and I am reading numerous blog posts on New Year’s Resolutions I am reminded why I don’t make them. You will notice most people make resolutions like:

Lose weight
Save more money/spend less money
Read more books
Connect with more people

As the clock ticks from 11:59 12/31/2008 to 12:00 1/1/2009 they are supposed to magically change their habits and become better people—then days later they fail.

I avoid making New Year Resolution for two reasons:

I am perpetually driven my established high level goals and aligned tasks. Since I focus on my goals though out the year I’m not compelled to make special goals at that start of a year since I am constantly setting and reappraising my direction.
Habit changes take time, commitment, and effort so placing a stake in the ground on an arbitrary date and expecting to change overnight is not realistic.

While I usually spend some time around the New Year to reevaluate my priorities since things tend to slow down at work I don’t usually make major changes in my plan to correspond with the New Year.

If you are focused on New Year’s Resolutions consider changing your focus to a long term plan with action items that provide specific and measurable result. As you reevaluate your plans in the upcoming months it will become easier to measure your success and make necessary adjustments.

Happy New Year! Avoid New Year’s Resolutions, focus on long term changes, and enjoy your success.

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