For A Happy New Year:

Make A Commitment Instead of a Resolution

Where did 2015 go?  It seems that just when you’ve gotten used to writing “2015” on your checks, that it’s “2016.” Yes, the holidays are over, the decorations are stored away, and the kids are already bored with their new toys and wondering what happened to the old ones. 

It’s the time of year when we reflect, review and revive our plans to be thinner, healthier, more loving, more compassionate, less opinionated, more forgiving and less stressed. 

Each New Year typically means new resolutions, most of which hang around until the end of January, or until temptation leads you back to an old habit, whichever comes first. Don’t fall into the same old trap that gets so many people.  This year, pick one thing that causes pain and/or stress in your life and make a commitment to eliminate it from your routine (or at least minimize its influence).  Here are some tips that might help.

  1. Write it down on a small index card that you can fold up and keep with you.  Awareness is the key to change, and this will help serve as a reminder.
  2. Read it every day until the new behavior takes hold.  This usually takes about 30 days.
  3. Reward yourself.  Nothing big, just something special like dinner and a movie (or a weekend in the Bahamas.)