Whether you are one who hates New Year's resolutions or weaken their stress by calling them goals, the advent of a brand new year causes most of us to review the past year and consider how we have handled our challenges and in what ways we are different today than we were a year ago.
This introspection can be educational and sometimes depressing. It can also be motivating. We often decide that this year, we will conquer those weaknesses and complete that elusive goal we've been chasing down for the past 5 years. And, this is a good thing. We should be constantly trying to improve ourselves, become better and reach our goals.
When we don't reach our goals, however, sometimes we beat ourselves up. Mercilessly. This becomes a self-defeating cycle. This is why so many people refuse to make New Year's resolutions.
So, be gentle with yourself when you decide to change. Be realistic. Remember you are human. Make your goals small and simple. Set some that are no-brainers; that you are guaranteed to accomplish, like: I resolve to brush my teeth every day in 2011. Instead of saying, "I will lose 10 pounds this year," it might be more realistic to say, "I will eat more fruit and vegetables this year."
It is not wrong to be human and have weaknesses. It is what helps us turn to God for His help. So, when you sit yourself down and decide what changes you want to make in 2011, be sure to include Him in the equation.
3 comments:
Great post. I agree that we should look for the positive, what we DID accomplish, rather than what we didn't. Thanks for the reminder.
Good advice. You can aim for the stars and hit the moon, as long as you're okay with just hitting the moon.
You're right, Michael. Some people can set high goals and be fine with accomplishing less. I think that's great.
For me, I find I need to set reasonable goals or I get too ambitious with what I want to do and be and then view myself as a failure.
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