New Year's celebrations are recorded as far back as 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon.
As is customary, you may feel free to announce your resoultions publically here so that we might all support you in your goals.
My resolution for 2006: Reduce my debt to income ratio.
The Babylonians' most popular resolution? To return borrowed farm equipment.
A thing to learn from the Babylonians about goal-setting is to keep it simple. Real change takes time, commitment, courage, and maybe even a scoop of Peppermint ice cream.
With that in mind, I've put together a few key New Year's Resolutions Dos and Don'ts. Good luck-and Happy New Year!
Do:
Keep it Real
Setting an impossible goal sets you up for disappointment. If you're taking a killer course load, for instance, this may not be the semester to suddenly decide "I will get straight A's." Resolutions are meant to be challenging, but not unattainable. Stay real, and you're more likely to be successful.
Be Specific
"I'm going to be nicer" is a nice idea, but a weak resolution. Find something concrete and measurable, like "I will say 'Good morning' to my roommate every day, even if I haven't had coffee yet." The trick is to be able to monitor your progress.
Break It Down
You need a plan of attack. Break the goal down into sub tasks and let the completion of each sub-task be cause for celebration of coming closer to meeting your goal. Take it one step at a time, remember to reward your self, and you'll reach your goal.
Share the Love
Confide in someone you trust (or us). Or try writing your resolutions down and sticking them on your refrigerator, above your desk, anywhere you're forced to see them daily. It's harder to lose sight of what you want to achieve when you have a friend rooting for you-or a constant reminder of your goals in sight.
Don't:
Get Greedy
So you want to exercise more-and get straight A's, and sleep more, and learn Swahili. Try to tackle all that at once, and you'll end up cracking up. There are limits to what even the most talented and hard-working person can do. So decide what matters most. Focus on that, and forget the rest for now. (Thanks to my partner for this tip)
Give Up
Everyone-and we mean everyone-stumbles now and then. When it happens to you, don't throw in the towel. Recognize what went wrong, then try a different tactic tomorrow. Success doesn't mean never faltering-it means not giving up when you do.
Forget to Laugh
Just because you're serious about reaching your goals doesn't mean you have to take yourself seriously all the time. Whatever matters to you most be it global warming, better friendships, or finding the perfect cheese fries, you should give it your best effort. Just remember to maintain perspective. That includes laughing now and then at yourself, if necessary.
Care What Others Think
So what if everyone else's goal is to lose 10 pounds? If you'd rather spend your time writing for the paper than running around a track, go for it. Doing your own thing can be a good thing. You'll get plenty of exercise anyway running around trying to land a scoop.
Best Wishes!
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'The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim.' - Edsgar Dijkstra
30 Dec 2005, 10:54 am
