The Sure-Fire Way to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

As I write this post, countless people the world over are conjuring up lofty resolutions for the coming year. You've heard it before - most of these resolutions fail within days, weeks, or (for those tenacious types) a few months of January First. Now I'm no expert on the human psyche, but after a few minutes of considering the issue, the word DUH! came to mind. It's absurdly apparent why most resolutions fail. They fail because we want them to fail, because they're unpleasant, because we'd rather drink our own piss than see them through.


Think about it; the most common resolutions look something like this:


Lose weight
Hit the gym frequently
Adhere to a more frugal budget
Quit smoking, drinking, toking, or otherwise indulging in addictive but soothing vices
Get a new job (or a second job, in this recession era)


Ugh. With such tiresome and obnoxious goals as these, it's little wonder we forget about them almost as hastily as we've made them. They sound like self-punishment, like drudgery.


But this year, I propose a revolution in resolutions. Let us each resolve to accomplish the delightful and amusing, not the dry and dreary. Leave the sober promises cited above for another relatively insignificant year, like 2013. For 2011, Dr. Nadya* recommends that everyone add some flavor to his or her otherwise bland New Year's resolutions. I will wager that an exciting, charming, and even silly resolution is far more likely to remain in your memory and on your To-Do list than something as unsexy as "stick to my budget." This year, resolve to do what you actually want to do, not the insipid chores you think you should do. This way, you might actually get something done - or at least take pleasure in the effort.


A few examples to help you get started (my own 2011 resolutions):


Gain five pounds
Notice something beautiful every day
Visit at least one new country and two new states
Make two new friends - the real kind, not the Facebook kind
Take a belly-dancing class
Commit an anonymous act of kindness once a week
Learn to make chocolate croissants


Now these are resolutions I can look forward to keeping :)



*I'm not actually a doctor. And I don't play one on TV. I'm not even a fan of primetime medical dramas. But I do think that McDreamy guy on Grey's Anatomy is appallingly gorgeous and I'd play doctor with him any day.