How To Make New Year’s Resolutions Actually Work
Someone said they should open a special kind of gym, it has exercise machines on the floor for the first two weeks of January, then everything is taken out and it converts to a restaurant and bar for the rest of the year.
That is about how most New Year’s resolutions work if we make them at all. It is indisputable that every one of us is a creature of habit. Me too. The secret is to replace bad habits with new good habits. How? I have discovered that new habits take as little as 30 days to form in my own life if I focus on creating them. I’m not a psychologist but I have developed my own system to help me actually make certain changes I want.
Pick one thing at a time to focus on Clearly define the objective Define the path or steps needed to make it happen Commit to this for 30 days Don’t quit if you miss a day Record your progress daily Review your progress weekly Give yourself a small reward every month
As an example:
My natural self would sleep until 10 am every morning. I need to be up and going before 6 am in order to stay on top of my business. So, I set my alarm for 5:30 and don’t hit the snooze button, ever. Those first few days were very hard. After 30 days I found that I was awake before the alarm went off. Now I can’t sleep past 6 am unless I’m dog tired or worked late into the night (it is the holiday season after all). Once in a while I just lay there for an extra half hour and enjoy my nice warm bed and extra soft pillow, that is my reward.
As a woodturner, we might want to avoid catches. One way to do that is to warm up before we start turning our project. You might decide that in order to do that, you will make a stash of 2x2x12 pine billets. You can chuck a billet between centers and rough it down with a skew. Begin by overemphasizing the ABC method to begin each cut. Then turn a series of beads and when you are done, turn a series of coves. Finish your practice piece off by using your skew again to make a perfect cylinder. Yes, it can be boring, but when you turn after you are warmed up, you are less likely to make a mistake.
I did this as a matter of course out on the Woodworking Show circuit. I went through a warm-up process every day before the show opened which included putting a fresh cutting edge on all of my turning tools. I never wanted to turn in front of a crowd being anything less than totally prepared and at full speed. Warming up was one of my secret weapons. You have never experienced the full benefit of a catch until you get one in front of 50 people!
I used to lock my keys in my car on a regular basis. Then I developed the habit of squeezing my keys before I close the door. If there is nothing to squeeze, I don’t close the door until the keys are in my hand. That is one habit I’m glad I adopted. I also keep a spare door key in my wallet just in case. Resolutions for resolution’s sake are a waste of time, but if there is something you really want to change or add to your daily routine, I hope my suggestions will help. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this week’s message:
Psalm 37:3 NIV Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Hebrews 13:16 NIV And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Romans 7:21 NIV So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
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