January 1st is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a day when we can all hit the reset button and start fresh. At least that’s the plan.
Naturally, the first day of the year provides the perfect opportunity to make that pledge to build better habits or tackle that allusive project that we’ve been meaning to get to, also known as the New Year’s Resolution. Here's a list of the top 10 resolutions for 2014, based on a study from the University of Scranton in the Journal of Clinical Psychology:
10. Spend more time with family
9. Fall in love
8. Help others fulfill their dreams
7. Quit smoking
6. Learn something exciting
5. Stay fit and healthy
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
3. Spend less, save more
2. Get organized
1. Lose weight
There are a couple of things that I notice about the top 10 resolutions for 2014. First, they bear a striking resemblance to the top 10 resolutions for 2013 and, second, they’re all pretty hard to accomplish in their own way. Perhaps that’s why New Year’s resolutions are as numerous as the reasons they don’t end up working out.
Personally, I’ve never thought it was such a big deal that we all routinely make and break resolutions so regularly. Let’s face it, when you only make resolutions once a year you’re going to swing for the fences, especially if the resolution is made at 11:59pm on December 31st after a few cocktails. And when you swing for the fences, more often than not you're going to swing and miss.
On the bright side, if any one of you has ever followed through on a well-meaning resolution your life is probably much better for it. I don’t care how many resolutions you’ve made on January 1 only to break them on January 3, you only have to quit smoking or find a great new job once to be the king of resolutions. Try to focus on what you have accomplished, instead of what you haven't, even if it didn't start as a resolution.
On the flip side, let that gym membership languish or watch your credit card bills climb and we’re left with the shame and guilt of unmet expectations when our big, audacious goals go unrealized.
In my humble opinion, our problem is that we limit resolution making to just one time a year. We need to increase our odds of success. I’m thinking quarterly resolutions instead of just annual ones. A shotgun approach as opposed to a laser focus on just one or two annual goals. While making an April Fool's Day resolution sounds counterintuitive, maybe if we don't pile so much into January there is a much better chance that our good intentions will keep serving us for the better part of 2014.
But if you want an expert’s opinion on how to follow through on your New Year's resolutions, Scranton University psychology professor John Norcross has some tips.
I’ll add one more tip to Professor Norcross’s list: don’t lose your sense of humor. To illustrate the point, here’s a story about a man who never lost sight of his objective:
In 1948, the Chicago Cubs offense was experiencing an extended batting slump that caused them to sink into last place in their division. Cubs’ manager Charlie Grimm sent scouts to comb the minor leagues for help. One evening a scout phoned Grimm from a small town in Nebraska and said, "Coach, I've just stumbled onto a great pitching find. This afternoon the kid pitched a perfect game. Twenty-seven strikeouts in a row! Nobody even touched the ball till a guy hit a foul in the last inning. Shall I sign him up? "NO!" Grimm said, "Sign the guy who got the foul. We need hitters!”
Happy New Year everyone! And good luck with those resolutions.