Welcome to 2010!  It sounds so futuristic.

Sometimes I make New Year’s Resolutions.  Sometimes I even write them down.  But the more I think about it, the more I think they’re dumb.  If something is worth doing, why wait for an arbitrary change in the date to start?

The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions dates back 4000 years, to the ancient Babylonians.   Perhaps it’s human nature to want to turn over a new leaf and start fresh.  But the whole process reminds me of a Robert Kiyosaki quote (Rich Dad Poor Dad):

“Today is the word for winners, tomorrow is the word for losers.”

There’s safety in “tomorrow,” while “today” requires immediate action.  I think his point is that people who say they’ll start a diet tomorrow, start exercising tomorrow, quit smoking tomorrow, etc. are destined to fail.  If they were serious about achieving their goal, they’d start today.

In fact, a recent study found that 78% of resolutions fail.  Each year people resolve to get in shape, somehow forgetting they made the same resolution last year, and the year before that.  Yet there’s always this optimism that this year will be different; it’s the definition of insanity.  I’ll see you at the gym; it’ll be crowded for a month or so.

We’re victims of inertia (an object at rest will stay at rest…), and old habits are hard to change.  I don’t mean to sound pessimistic — and I’m all about setting goals and achieving them — just pointing out the very “tomorrow” nature of New Year’s Resolutions makes them hard to accomplish.  But there’s a distinct difference between a goal and resolution.  Any lifestyle change worth making shouldn’t wait until January 1st.

Now I’m just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to this “tomorrow” mentality, and I’m trying to get better.  I think setting specific, measurable, and realistic goals will yield better results than any broad resolution. Example:

  • Resolution: Lose weight.
  • Goal: Lose 5 lbs by February 1st.

One of my other favorite quotes:

“Someday starts today.”

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