Where Do Resolutions Come From and How to Keep Them
Humans have been faithfully breaking new year's resolutions for 4,000 years since the ancient Babylonians resolved to return any borrowed farm equipment as the new year, then in March, coincided with the start of the farming season. Sometimes the equipment was returned, and sometimes the resolutions were feckless (sorry, couldn't help myself).
Ancient Romans (meaning Romans a long time ago, not really old ones) joined the party by counting the previous year's stock and setting goals to accomplish more the coming year. The Chinese are said to have had a special new year's resolution to clean their house squeaky clean. I myself avoid house cleaning for the new year, but I do enjoy visiting my Chinese friends right after they've cleaned.
Wikipedia tells us (therefore it must be true) that only 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, and only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals were used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"). Women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. Guys, the gals score an extra 10% by talking to each other. Someone ask for directions and take note!
In the US, resolutions generally involve doing more of something or doing less of something:
Less of something:
- Lose weight
- Get out of debt
- Eat right, Drink less
- Quit smoking
- Reduce stress
- Be less grumpy.
More of Something:
- Get more organized
- Save money
- Improve grades
- Get a better job
- Exercise more
- Get a better education
- Take a trip
- Help others
- Be more independent
- Learn a foreign language or a musical instrument
- Get up earlier in the morning
- Help the poor.
Resolutions have the best chance of succeeding when one starts with realistic goals.
People often make ambitious resolutions with little hope of achieving them. Ambitious goals can be motivating and inspire you unless you are the kind of person that gets overwhelmed by the enormity of the goal. Many people give up because they think there’s no way to get there from here.
Resolutions must be broken down into bite sized chunks. If a goal is to lose 20 pounds in three months, then there ought to be twelve goals, one for each week where one loses 1-2 pounds. These 'bite sized chunks' must be accompanied by yellow stickies you put in your bathroom mirror so they're the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. When you achieve that week's goal, take the sticky away. Any goal has to have a strategy to achieve that goal. Gym memberships and weight loss books examples of good intentions, not strategies.
If you can't bear the thought of staring at stickies as reminders of the decisions you make each and every day and each and at every meal (using the weight loss example), then save the paper and go have a hot dog; It ain't happening.
It's also key create a plan for setbacks. What will you do if you fall off the wagon, as we all do from time to time? The key is to rebound from setbacks, rather than letting them snowball into full-blown failures. Avoid all-or-none thinking that triggers the snowball effect. Then, create a “setback plan” that you will enact at the first sign of a slip. If you find you missed a week's goal for example, have a plan that you will take one item out of your lunch every day until you get back on track.
Great luck to everyone with his and her goals or the coming year and a very happy start of Kwanzaa!
