Manageable New Year’s Resolutions

As the new year approaches, many of us set aside a little time for introspection and contemplation. As we consider what the past year was and what the new year might hold, many of us find a renewed desire to improve ourselves, whether by losing weight, eating a more healthy diet, or finally sitting down to write that novel about the time-traveling monkey detective. Too often, however, three weeks into January we look back on our progress and consider how foolish we were to think we could really get ourselves into marathon-running shape within a few days. This can leave us feeling more depressed than we were in the first place. So, in the interest or preserving our collective self-esteem, I recommend that you consider some new year’s resolutions that most of us would find more manageable.
Sometimes it’s as important to resolve to stop doing something as it is to resolve to start doing something. Maybe you chew with your mouth open and it disgusts your spouse. You could resolve to close your mouth when eating, or at least eat in a different room. Maybe you feel like you do all the housework. You could resolve to allow your spouse to share in the joy of helping you cook and wash the dishes. It’s amazing how much of a difference it could make in your marriage if you just resolve to pick up your socks off the floor every once in a while.
Or, if you’re already not doing something wrong, it’s important to make sure you don’t start. If you’ve never kicked a puppy, good for you! It’s that much easier to resolve not to get in the habit. If you’ve never let the air out of your neighbor’s tires, that’s a great way to build friendship. Just make sure you resolve to continue resisting the temptation, even when he accidentally backs into your mailbox. After all, refraining from doing bad things is half of what is required for self-improvement.
Once you’ve resolved to stop doing the bad things, you can make some resolutions to start doing good things. First, given the state of world affairs, sometimes just getting out of bed requires superhuman effort. Watching the news these days makes you want to go hide under the blankets with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Nevertheless, most of us manage to push onward, not only getting out of bed but also going on with our day-to-day lives in spite of a never-ending torrent of depressing information assailing our senses. So go ahead and resolve to just get up every morning (except on days when you’re sick, and the occasional Saturday), and feel good about yourself for keeping that resolution.
With the majority of American adults overweight, it’s no surprise that losing weight and improving diet are common resolutions. Resolving to eat right is a good goal, but it’s a vague description. Not only that, but it takes time to develop a balanced diet. Otherwise, it’s a terrible shock to the system. Resolving to eat multiple servings of fruits and vegetables a day when you’re used to jelly donuts and candy corn is not only a change for your body, it’s also pretty expensive. There are, however, ways to ease into it. Switch from s’mores-flavored Pop-Tarts to strawberry. Put some extra pickles on your burger. Double the order of peppers on your pizza. It’s surprising how many different ways there are to get the fruits and vegetables your body needs.
Finally, the most important resolution we can make is simply to make some resolutions. That way, even after the dusty treadmill is relegated to the corner where it becomes a $400 rack for drying socks, we can feel good about ourselves, knowing that we at least set some goals, even if the execution didn’t pan out. After all, there’s always next year. This thought will cheer us up as we head to the pantry for some more Girl Scout cookies.
It’s important to remember that the purpose of creating new year’s resolutions is not just to make yourself a better person, it’s also to feel better about yourself. We shouldn’t get down on ourselves just because we aren’t perfect. None of us will achieve perfection in this life, so we might as well find joy in the everyday things we do. So don’t feel afraid to pad your list of resolutions just a bit to make sure you feel like you at least accomplish something throughout the coming year.