Tag: new year's resolution

Ever wonder why your well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions fade away somewhere around March? You started off with enthusiasm and zeal, only to find yourself in the land of "eh, who needs it?" and "what was I thinking, anyway?” a few weeks down the road.

There are lots of reasons for that, the primary one being complete lack of reality-thinking. For example, the classic "I’m going to lose 20 pounds by next month!" without planning just how those unwanted pounds are going to disappear. "I’ll exercise!" Uh-huh. When? Doing what? For how long? And so on.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~ Bill Vaughan

It is the time of year when many of us make New Year's resolutions. The most popular include things like losing weight or getting fit, getting the finances in order, organizing our life, an effort to quit smoking and reduce or stop drinking and even try to have more fun. I even read that fifty-percent of Americans say their New Year's resolution is to spend more time with family and friends.

We all have good intentions when we make New Year’s resolutions, but fully 88 percent of us fail to achieve them. That’s because in our enthusiasm to make positive changes, we take on too much. We simply don’t have enough time, energy, and mental bandwidth to keep up with multiple resolutions in the midst of our hectic, stressful lives—and by February or March, our unsustainable resolutions are ancient history.

That’s why, as another January 1st looms on the calendar, we suggest radically reducing your resolutions—not just to one goal, but to one single word.

Life is built on routines. It’s easy to go years—or even decades—without consciously assessing what’s working and what’s not. As a result, many of us are surrounded by people, obligations, objects, and habits that aren’t exactly making our lives better (far from it!).

Well, no more. With a new year upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at your daily existence—and drop all the dead weight that’s holding you back.