by Daniel Tsunekawa

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

As we all know from various experiences, New Years resolutions can often turn into an annual tradition of January dedication, and February disappointment. Resolutions range from things like, getting in shape. Dieting, being more adventurous, reading more, or spending more time with family. I wish I could be involved in diet advertising or one month gym memberships for the first thirty days of the New Year. Yet as we approach the end of this year and the beginning of another, it is important to reflect on our lives and desire to better ourselves.

So how can we make resolutions for ourselves that are healthy and realistic? There are a few things that should be considered when considering goals self-improvement.

The first idea is fairly well known but rarely implemented, simplicity. Starting small seems hard for many people because they want fast results.
Unfortunately people who set the bar too high will most likely not stick to their goal. For instance in the exercise world, if a person goes to the gym at four in the morning to get in a good workout before work, January 3rd will not be a fun day and when the alarm goes off on January 4th the snooze button will feel almost irresistible. This person would be much more likely to continue if they simply did a short stretch in the morning and a short walk at night.
Creating a mindset that will stick to a regiment is the important task. Then after ample time, elaborating or extending the workout in small simple ways will be much more likely to endure the February disappointments.

When thinking about a particular resolution, whether it is fitness, mental health, or emotional control, it is important to know what you are dealing with. Gather information about the subject that you want and study it. For instance, if you are working on stress reduction, go to a bookstore and find a book that can help you understand helpful, healthy ways to become stress free. It is important for you to find reputable sources, which can be a task in itself these days. If you can, talk to a professional who can help you sort through the good and bad information.

The last of these ideas may seem a little bit intimidating, however it very well may be the most important. Try to take the "New Year" out of your resolution. In other words, don't wait until the 1st to start reaching for your goals. Start today! As scary or displeasing as that may sound, it frees you from the mindset that ties progress to the calendar. It takes your goal and makes it yours, instead of January's. Start on some forgettable day. If a woman has a resolution to read ten pages of a book every night, then it is unimportant for her to know the date when she started. She only needs to know that she read yesterday, she is reading tonight, and she will read tomorrow.The reason the "start now" step is the most important is that it allows for October resolutions and July resolutions that otherwise might have been put off until the next year.

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