It’s that time again when we all face that inevitable fact that everyone, well most everyone with a knowledge of said fact, ponders the idea of committing to a goal for this new year.  And yes, many of us create more than one goal.

Me?  No, I have not come up with any resolutions.  I have a few ideas, and I’m thinking that just by writing this post I will come up with at least one good one.

So what’s yours?  Will you share it below with the understanding that once you put it out into the universe you will most likely hold yourself accountable for its achievement?  Okay, go for it!

Meanwhile, let’s examine the concept of the ‘resolution’.  Per the dictionary, and for our purposes, a resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something”.  Note the “firm decision” part.  A decision, per the dictionary, is defined as, “a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration”.  So, when we form a ‘resolution’ for this year, we are coming to a firm conclusion that we will, indeed, do or not do something!  That’s what I call definitive, and kind of scary.  We are committed to achieving the goal we set.  Do you think that prevents some of us from coming up with a New Year’s Resolution?

Perhaps it would be wise for us to create a resolution in which we can truly commit.  That way we are assured success.  That would feel good.  Or, maybe we should go big and choose something that, if we achieve it, becomes like a winning of the lottery.  What do you think?

I’ll admit I have tried, on many occasions, to create a huge goal, and a list of goals, with the philosophy of setting the bar high so as to push myself.  After all, many a guru has preached that one must imagine what one wants, hold on to it, or visualize it, and eventually it will come true.  While this may work, my personal experience is that this technique can require many years of practice before the intended result is achieved.   What’s your experience?

The other approach is to keep it simple, make it an achievable goal, and delight in success at it’s more reasonable accomplishment.  What are you going to do?

I guess another idea would be to have no resolution at all.  This would require no thought at all, and therefore takes all pressure off of you to meet said goal.  But what about all of those people that say we should have goals?  Are they right?

The decision is ultimately yours.  I know it just seems too stressful of a process to deal with now that the holidays are over, and you’re struggling to just get back into your groove.  But face it, you do have to make a decision one way or the other.  After all, not making a decision, is indeed, making a decision.  Am I right?

May I suggest a few things?  I’m thinking we should take a half of an hour and come up with at least one attainable resolution.  At the least it will be a process that will reap us a dandy little reward….think of it as immediate gratification.  I’m also believing that the reachable goal should be accompanied by at least one more difficult to attain goal.  This will put a little pressure on us to work on it a little bit.  If we achieve it, then think how good that will feel.  And supposedly, it’s our feelings that really matter.  I truly believe that it’s not what we do for ourselves, or what others do for us, that matters, but how others make us feel, and how we make us feel, that really sticks with us for eternity.  So, how do you want to feel?

Lastly, I advocate that we come up with one difficult resolution.  What the heck, we should rather easily accomplish the first goal.  And if we are most likely to attain the second, then we will be two for three!  Who wouldn’t like those odds?  If you somehow have a crazy good year and reach the third goal, then holy moly you are going to feel incredibly good about yourself.

Is not the whole process of forming and implementing a resolution to create happiness and joy within you?  If that is not the ultimate goal, then certainly do not perform this activity.  But, if the real purpose of a New Year’s Resolution is to get you to feel great, and have something to celebrate come December 31 of 2016, then by all means, take thirty minutes right now and come up with three things that you most likely will achieve in this year ahead.  I dare you, do it now.  What are your goals for the next twelve months?

Mine?  I still haven’t decided, but I’m going to come up with three right now.