DETROIT – Happy New Year! Just because the year is new, do we have to be new too?
What was wrong with the old version of ourselves? Nothing at all many would say. Yet new year's resolutions are "on and poppin" like so many celebratory, champagne bottles were for the annual "Auld Lange Syne" toast to bring in the new year.
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A resolution loosely defined, and in this case, refers to having the quality of being determined, to reach a firm decision about something, to declare or decide on something. Sounds serious and not for the faint of heart. To resolve begin new behaviors means saying a final farewell to the old comfortable way of being.
When it comes to resolutions, you could say we are broken into 2 distinct groups. Not to state the obvious, but there are those who bother and those who don't give it a second thought. The latter group foregoes any new earth shattering goals and opts for their placid state of being. They are completely content with themselves, their lives and the future they see laid out before them. They comprise one irritating segment of the population. And then there's the rest of us. We comprise, the magazine reading, poll considering, dieting, list making, self-assessing dreamers who foresee a rainbow's existence, complete with a pot of gold, somewhere out there and so when a new calendar year is born, we make resolutions to inch our way closer to our new selves, one self-affirming message at a time. New year's resolutions are our zip line ride to something and someone better.
While whizzing along on our zip line we are likely to hit a few unsettling bumps brought on by a steep learning curve. Those inevitable snags in the line should be expected and not our complete undoing. Clearly, any new endeavor takes some practice, a few do overs and just plain getting used to. Apparently, and even more promising, our resolutions are worth our persistence. US.gov reports that most Americans' new year's resolutions center around self improvement including; weight loss, healthy living habits, smoking cessation and debt reduction. Laudable goals that have the potential to solve a host of societal ills. So not to worry when you miss a day of exercise, sneak in a cigarette, charge some unneeded bauble, all is not lost. Your intention to change is still in tact and there for the taking. Push on in your attempt at change taking the you of "old" to meet the you "new" celebrating both. Remember it was the "old" you who made the choice to meet of the "new" you in 2012.
And that brings me to another thing......we'll talk about that one next time.
Special Section: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU