With the coming new year, the air is buzzing with resolutions (see here, here, here, here, here, and here — it seems that things have gotten quite goal-oriented in the pf blogosphere this year). Now as for me, I never understood the point of making resolutions simply because it was a specific date. Then again, there is so much I don’t understand. For instance, I don’t understand anniversaries and birthdays as a cause for celebration either, so maybe I just don’t get it. Perhaps I am a lost cause. Perhaps not. I see the significance of the actions taken on those particular days but I don’t see the point of taking action just because of the calendar tells me to.

To me new year resolution bears the mark of the “Yeah I know I have a problem right now and therefore I will take care of it … next week”-philosophy. Hence a resolution uses a particular event to move one from stage III to stage IV of making changes.

I have noted, however, that new year’s resolutions are usually forgotten in about 2-3 weeks when the initial fast gains slow down and the struggle becomes harder. The problem is that new year’s resolution do not automatically come with a strong self-discipline or a strong support group. It is those things that must be established first, because merely moving past January 1st is not automatically going to cut it. Fortunately these can be engaged in all year long.