A lot of people every year make new year’s resolutions. “This is going to be the year,” they say. The year to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, quit smoking, quit drinking, volunteer, spend less money, spend more time with family, and so many more. Then those resolutions fall by the wayside. I think the problem is that we aren’t very resolute in keeping our resolutions. But every year, we decide that this year will be different.
I used to do it every year. I would make resolutions, and then quit before even a week would go by. I always ended up feeling like a failure. No one likes to feel like a failure so I quit making promises to myself. However, I might have been going about the business all wrong.
Maybe it would help to just focus on one important thing I would like to change instead of trying to change everything all at once. It’s hard to focus on too many things at one time. For me, I would like to focus on writing more.
Next I need to plan out how I’m going to carry out my resolve. In order to write more, I need to set aside a specific time each day to write. For example: set aside 1:00-3:00 PM on Monday through Friday, and then set an alarm if I have to. When it’s writing time, turn off the phone, TV, and any other distractions. If something gets scheduled during my writing time, carve out a different two hour block during my day. Then I need to remind myself to not get discouraged. It’s okay if I don’t write anything. If I stay consistent with my writing time, then I believe the words will come. Even if I just stare at the computer screen and my fingers are still, my mind is still working.
After I’ve tackled the problem of writing more, I can focus on other areas. The great thing is I don’t have to wait until January 1, 2019 to add another resolution.
As you look back on 2017, keep in mind that the past is gone. Focus on 2018. I wish you the best year ever. You can do it! It’s all up to you!
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