Five Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions

In reading Carrie Logic’s post about New Year’s Resolutions recently, I was reminded of my own inexplicable and habitual avoidance of making New Year’s Resolutions, year after year. Why should that be? After all, I’m a self-described self-help junkie, wouldn’t New Year’s Resolutions be right up my alley? Here are some alternatives to a new year resolution, if you find yourself in a similar mindset.

photo credit: katphotos

The question for me is: Do traditional New Year’s Resolutions live up to their status as the thing to do to make a difference in your life? Carrie Logic wrote:

Last year, I decided not to make any resolutions. That was probably a good idea, despite my current opinion that most of the time I don’t make resolutions as a way of escaping responsibility. I tend to think making resolutions is a bit silly and pointless, but lately I’ve come to believe that there’s nothing wrong with having a big scale project to focus on, with having something on which to reflect at the end of the year. Nothing wrong with honest intentions to improve yourself.

I have to agree wholeheartedly. But I would add that the problem with New Year’s resolutions is that so often they end up being not only silly and pointless, but almost a way to escape responsibility in and of and despite themselves.

Why? Possibly because every year millions and millions of people go about the habitual routine of making their resolutions, and then summarily breaking them, toute suite. So much so that the mere act of making a New Year’s Resolution is almost like an early admission of failure!

The New Year is a great time to step back and take a look at the big picture. It’s an irresistible and natural aspect of our calendar’s gestational looping. So I propose simply mixing it up a bit.

Instead of a 2009 New Year’s Resolution…

1. Make a list of your Top 20 Accomplishments from last year. This idea I stole from an old friend of mine. And it’s a wise one. Unless you give yourself the satisfaction of celebrating what you’ve done well, you’ll never have the excess energy to start new habits. We all know what we need or want to do, taking a break from those kind of pressures to dwell on your strengths rather than your weaknesses might give you the TLC you really need to get productive.
2. Make a list of your Top 3 Needs. In a similar vein, we often take more time to think about what we should be doing than what we need to keep us going. I originally wrote up my Top 3 Needs list as a challenge to those facing the blues. My post just happened to fall on December 31st, and I decided it was an excellent way to ring in the New Year. By focusing on just three things that you need to keep in place in your life throughout the coming year, you protect yourself from running on empty and ensure that your life will have some joy in it, even if you fall short of your high expectations. Give it a try!
3. Try the 101 Things in 1001 Days Challenge. A popular blog meme, this was written up at My Bountiful Life and spread by Denise at Flamingo House Happenings. The idea here is to plug away at a list of 101 things for almost three years. Hey, that saves you from worrying about resolutions for awhile, no? A favorite for those who like lists and those who like “Getting Things Done” it might be fun just to make the list and see what happens. Fascinating ongoing stories of others’ progress can be found by searching blogs for “101 things in 1001 days.”
4. Make a Gratitude List. There are some excellent examples out there of gratitude lists by bloggers who write them on a regular basis, for example Jessica’s inspirational ongoing gratitude posts at Green Mamma. If you believe in karma, even just a little bit, a gratitude list is an excellent way to bounce out some positive energy in thanks for what you’ve received. Funny thing about being grateful, too, is that in a weird way it makes you feel like you deserve the help and support that you’ve gotten in the past, so it primes you to be able to give and receive in the future. What a fantastic and pliable thing is the human noggin’!
5. Make only one New Year’s Resolution and get serious about it. If you’re really set on getting going on a new project and you want that fresh new calendar to spur on your spirits, keep it simple. Experts on forming habits say that it’s better to focus on one at a time. And if you don’t take it serious on a daily basis, adding it to the very tippy top of all your to do lists and making time for it at least 3-4 times a week, it ain’t gonna happen. So stick with one, write it on your calendar at the start of every month, and remind yourself that habit forming is two-steps forward, one step back, …and something about turtles winning over bunnies… o yeah, “Slow and steady wins the race!”

If you didn’t keep your resolutions last year, you’re primed for something different. And If you haven’t made any this year, or you have but they’re already slipping, perhaps you just need to tweak the looking glass a bit.

For me, 2009 will be about meeting my top three needs to fight the blues, while watching the landscape change as I meet goals, little ones and big ones. If you fear the big “R” in New Year’s Resolution, maybe one of these alternatives will find your fancy. Or, you could just make a big ol’ grin at yourself in the mirror, and say, “Hey you in 2009! You’re lookin’ pretty fine just like you are!” Happy New Year!

Love,

Mama Hope

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