We say some dumb stuff around the New Year. Frankly, I'm tired of it already. There are more myths, rumors and lies spread about the New Year than there are in the presidential debates. I'm going to be the one to call them out. All of them! I'm talking about the lies, not the candidates.
I'll start with my favorite myth: "New Year = New You"
The calendar we use today was created centuries ago when we were an agrarian society. It was invented primarily for two purposes: farming and performing rituals. It was never meant for "naming and claiming" your new Mercedes or losing the weight from the food you just packed in your gut over the holidays.
Do you want to know a surefire way to guarantee you'll be right back in this same position next year? Vow to start an extreme lifestyle makeover in January and hope the Calendar God on High anoints you with the miraculous changes you desire. Summons his power with incantations such as, "This is my year" and "It's gonna be great in 2008."
Let the church say, "Amen!"
For the record, the New Year can be an effective goal-setting tool, but it is useless unless it is accompanied by some effort. A new year alone won't yield any new results! For example, if I gave you a Quantum Physics exam on December 31st, unless you are freakishly smart, you probably wouldn't pass it. If I gave you the same test one day later on January 1st, what do you think the result would be? Exactly. You would be, as Aunt Ester would from Sanford and Son would say, a "fish-eyed fool" if you think flipping a page in the calendar is going to put some knowledge in your head that wasn't there previously.
The calendar alone will not change your IQ, weight, credit score, income, or any other facet of your life. What it will do is provide you an easy-to-measure start date on improving them. And it will also get your hear started on the wrong track. Putting off needed changes is the hidden culprit that causes your goals to fail. Research has proven that eight out of 10 people quit New Year's resolutions before January is over. These so-called "must do" modifications don't even last 30 days! The reason why is simple: folks who really want to change don't wait!
You tell me:
When is the best time to stop smoking?
When is the best time to start telling your family that you love them?
When is the best time to stop hanging around people who irritate you?
When is the best time to begin praying instead of trying to figure everything out on your own?
When is the best time to start trusting yourself instead of second-guessing abilities?
Even the most motivationally-challenged among us would declare that today is the best day for all of these, not next year, next month or even next week. TODAY! When you're really serious about getting results, you start TODAY! You don't play the "let me just get one more in" game. Last time was truly the LAST TIME. This is how people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired approach their goals. If you don't hate it, you will tolerate it!
I'm going to stop here before I lose a friend.
Okay. . .I can't leave you like this so I'll give this to you quickly:
Rank your resolutions
You are where you are because of a set of habits you've formed. Don't deceive yourself by thinking you can undo all your habits overnight. It doesn't work that way. You're your way into it. Instead of pledging 10 brand new, completely unrelated habits, take the top three and ditch the rest for now. This way, the changes will feel a lot more manageable and natural, not stressful and overwhelming.
Restructure your resolutions
This is the fun part! While most people are foolishly trying to hold on to resolutions they aren't resolved to keep, you're going to do something very different. Don't focus on the yearly goals. Don't focus quarterly or monthly goals either. Set weekly goals. Instead of saying "I want to lose 10 pounds this month," you can say "I am losing 2.5 pounds this week," which amounts to only 5.7 ounces per day. This is seems so much easier, doesn't it! Heck, you can lose that by not super sizing your combo meal!
Yard by yard, it's hard. Inch by inch, it's a synch!
Johnathan Sprinkles
