The Resolution to Look at Resolutions in a New Light!

First of all, resolutions are double-edged swords.  If we succeed at keeping our resolutions, we feel like we are on top of the world.  But if we slack off, then we feel like failures.  This is why we all must make a resolution to look at our resolutions differently.  We need to not look at one day, one week, or even one month of not keeping our resolutions as an excuse for giving up.  Because if we truly give up, then we have failed.  Some say they never make resolutions because they don’t believe in setting themselves up for disappointments.  However, when we look at our lives and decide that we want to improve, then that is the first step to success.  Looking at ourselves honestly and seeing the parts of us that can use some work are two commendable qualities.  

The most common resolutions deal with personal bad habits that many of us just can’t kick.  ”This year I am going to lose 5 pounds a month,” and  ”I am going to exercise every day starting in January,”  are probably the two most common resolutions that we all make.  And here lies the problem.  Each resolution is too restricting.  When we don’t lose those 5 pounds in the first month of the new year, we give up because we did not hit that number on the scale. When we sleep in that Saturday morning because we are sick with a cold, we say the heck with exercising because we missed one day.  Basically, the excuses to fail lie in the very resolutions themselves.  As a result, the first step in being successful at our resolutions is to not be so specific.  Each one of us needs to give ourselves a more realistic goal to meet.  Instead of setting a certain weight loss as the resolution, we should resolve to eat more healthy and allow ourselves our favorite foods but in smaller portions and fewer times in a month.  Consequently, we will feel like we are actually working towards a goal when we choose a glass of ice water rather than the soda or share a piece of that delectable chocolate brownie with our best friend.  Also, it is a guarantee that smarter food choices will result in the loss of pounds.  Maybe we might only lose ten pounds this year.  But it is much better than having the 5 pound per month resolution because we may just give up when our waistline has not budged in that first month or two.