New Year’s Resolutions: It’s Not Too Late

Well, January and February 2021 are in the books…wait, what? When did that happen? It happened while you were bingeing on Netflix and ignoring that resolution you made back at the start of the year. But do not despair, good reader, there is no rule that states resolutions can only be made at the beginning of each new year or that they can’t be altered in March. When it comes to resolutions (aka goals) you are the boss. You make the rules. You are in control of you!

If you’re like most people, by this time of the year your resolution is a foggy, distant memory. You were diligent and dedicated for two, maybe three weeks and then you fell back into your old, very comfortable routine. No worries, you can always try again with the same resolution, tweak it just a bit, or create an entirely new one. Remember, there are no rules to resolutions…well, maybe one: make your resolution challenging yet achievable. Anyway, if you’re looking to set some new goals (aka resolutions) for the rest of 2021, or your life, here are a few tips…

Put your resolution in writing in big, fat, giant letters and place copies of it around the house or apartment and make it your phone’s ringtone. For example, I WILL BE A NICER PERSON, ESPECIALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Anything that serves as a reminder will help make your resolution a habit and when that happens, reminders become unnecessary.

Make your resolution public, again, especially on social media. Shout it to the world: I RESOLVE NOT TO COMPLAIN SO MUCH! And ask those you share your resolution with to hold you accountable when you backslide. It should go something like this: you: “Damn, I hate when the neighbor sends their five great Danes into my yard to poop!” Your friend on Instagram: “Stop complaining, grab 26 poop bags and go pick up those land mines.” You’ll be amazed how being held accountable serves as motivation.

Slightly alter your initial resolution after you examine why you didn’t achieve it. Perhaps your January resolution was too ambitious or too boring or too complicated or too stupid. Whatever, if you still feel it’s a goal you’d like to get to, just alter how you get there. For example, if your January resolution was to spend less time in front of a screen, perhaps you need to quantify the nonspecific word “time.” “I will spend no more than three, non-work-related hours in front of a screen per day.” might work better.

Condense your resolution down to a single word or short phrase that you (or someone else) can recite to yourself when needed, or even when not needed. “Do more random acts of kindness” can be condensed to “pay it forward,” or “be more patient” can be reduced to, well, “patience.”

Realize that YOU own YOUR resolution. No one forced you to make this resolution…I hope. It’s totally under your control. There’s a reason you decided to create this resolution in the first place and always try to remember that reason as the days pass. That reason probably has something to do with trying to make yourself a better person. Very few people resolve to make themselves less healthy, or meaner, or more sedentary, or a worse parent, or more of a d!ck on social media. Try to keep that in mind when you find yourself struggling…you created this resolution to make you a better person.

There’s nothing wrong with a March resolution (or any other month for that matter). There is no “Resolution Rule Book” you need to follow. Just do the best you can and give yourself every opportunity to achieve your goal, whatever that may be.