Made your resolutions yet?

Well here we are again, another year has bit the big one and we’re faced once again with a New Year – time to forget about 2010, put the past behind us so to speak, and pray for a better 2011. That is if you pray at all, if not then forget that part. One thing you probably will do though is make at least one resolution, since about 40-50% of Americans do just that every year. How many of us keep them? Well, that’s another matter. Statistics aren’t really well kept on that activity of course; since most of us don’t want to admit we have, once again, failed to come through and actually reached our goal or resolution (I think they’re practically interchangeable, right?)

Believe it or not the practice of setting a New Year’s resolution dates back to Babylonian time, and they thought that what you do on the very first day of the new year will have a great effect on the entire year somehow. Is that sounding a bit superstitious? Perhaps, but others over the years are more philosophical about the subject. Oscar Wilde wrote that “a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other”, which is not only humorous but most likely true. Me? I don’t even make them anymore, having decided that making goals only at the beginning of the year is fruitless and wasteful. I do make goals of course, but I enjoy spreading them out the entire year, so I have a little more time to make adjustments.

What are the most common New Year’s resolutions? I thought you’d never ask – here they are in no particular order, since different sources list them other ways, and every year I think they change a bit:

* Drink Less Alcohol – Well I’m ignoring this right away

* Get a Better Education – Not likely, who can afford that? I can read a book!

* Get a Better Job – Ok, now you’re talking. Although I have a business too.

* Fall in love – Sure that could happen. No, really.

* Lose Weight – Ding, ding, ding! Here is the big one for most of us

* Manage Debt – I will get back to you on this one (after my tax return is in)

* Manage Stress – Yes, I can see that this would help

* Quit Smoking Now – If you’re still smoking in 2011, shame on you.

* Save Money – Love to! I’m taking donations, by the way (Paypal works)

* Take a Trip – (See above)

* Volunteer to Help Others – Honestly we should all do this, how easy is it to do really?

Of course they say that about 25% of people fail in their New Year’s resolutions within the first week, and nearly half make to the six month mark. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but if it’s true then I guess that’s better than not setting any goals, right? If you fail to set any goal at all, whether on the 1^st of the New Year or some other time, you have nothing to fail at but also nothing to gain. What are you shooting for, really?

I think the best goals are well thought out, because if you have smoked cigarettes for the past 20 years and suddenly on New Year’s Eve say “I’m gonna quit this year, by gum!” that’s pretty lame and probably half-assed at best. Hopefully you have already quit saying think about what you really want to accomplish before making a goal. Should you start with the bad habits and set a goal to quit those? Or should you vow to make more money this year and finally get your money problems in order – that depends on what kind of bad habits you have, I suppose. But I would put quitting smoking at the top of the list if you are a smoker. I personally try to stay healthy, since I kind of enjoy breathing in and out every day, but that’s just me.

So what about you, have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Are you going to make any this year, or have you decided to fall in the 50% of folks that refuse to be sheep and follow the crowd? Let me know because I would really like to find out what goals people are making this year, perhaps I can make a year-long study of these posts and comments and give the results at a later date, say next year? By the way you know next year, well the one after 2011 I mean, is the last year we may be around. Oh, yeah, the Mayan calendar thing is coming…