by Alison Crane
New Year’s Resolutions in practice don’t work very well for me. In fact, I am fifty-one and I’m pretty sure I have yet to completely accomplish a single resolution. For example: the kitchen cabinets that I was reorganizing, painting and lining … four of them still need to be done almost four years later and that was my only resolution that year.
Am I lazy? Maybe. Or maybe too disorganized? Probably. Looking back, I have accomplished a lot of stuff, just not always what I had planned. I have really good intentions, but life just seems to get in the way.
So, what does someone like me do at the beginning of the year when everyone around is supposedly making resolutions? One response is to not make any resolutions so they will not be broken, but that seems like a defeatist attitude. Another reaction is to set a resolution that is too easy, like breathing – This year, I plan to breathe… a lot!
Of course, one can always set a pledge that is dependent on another person doing his/her part. When the promise is broken, the blame will go to the other person for ruining the resolution. Maybe a resolution to complete all former resolutions would be a good resolution. Let’s face it, the dilemma is real!
According to University of Scranton psychologist, John Norcross, people who resolve to change behaviors actually do much better than non-resolvers who have the same habits needing to be changed. Setting a goal and having a plan really does help us make wanted or needed changes in health, behavior, or finances. I like to think of it as “deliberate living.” We benefit from having a strategy and doing our homework.
It’s probably safe to say that most people have the goal of a better life, whether they have made a deliberate resolution or not. A better life lends itself to a happier life. To have a better life usually some kind of changes have to be made. Since making changes works better when we resolve to do something, why not make it a goal and start the year with a plan for happiness?
If you would like more information on establishing a blueprint for happiness and applying proven principles to your New Year’s resolutions, contact the Garland County Extension Service at 501-623-6841 or email acrane@uaex.edu.
Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
