Don't make resolutions

In all honesty, I can't remeber making a single New Year's Resolution. I don't hate them, I understand why some people feel driven to them and I get the I'm going to make this year different, thing. This might be a surprise to those of you that know how much I love goals. So, let me explain a little bit.

I wait up for the turn of the calendar, like most of you. I look to see if Dick Clark's face moves while he talks, or if his speech is impaired by the skin now stretched tight across his face. I enjoy the snacks taken from the freezer and then baked in the oven for a few minutes, this year was pizza rolls. I have worn hats and blown a cheap horn like a fool. The only tradition I haven't done is making resolution.

Using the calendar to make resolutions always seemed silly to me. I don't actually think it usually works. If I don't always get everything done I want to do in a day, how am I going to stick to something for a year, also when you set goals on January first, it becomes an excuse to really blow the last few months of the year, with the idea, I'll start on that on the New Year.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote in an advice letter, if you take care of the cents, the dollars will take care of themselves. The idea, of course, is if you get good at the little things, the big things will resolve themselves. I'm trying to get a book done this year, but that is not the goal I'm working on, the goal I'm working on is writing at least one paragraph a day. The great thing about this, is I can be successful everyday and if I mess up, it's not all ruined, I can be successful tomorrow. The same goes for exercise goals, make a daily goal, not a yearly goal. If you do the work everyday, the year will take care of itself.

I also have a little procrastination problem. If I try to get something done by the end of the week, Saturday will probably be the day I start. If I'm trying to get something done by the end of the year, I'll have for gotten my Resolution by the time the last possible minute to start rolls around. They don't work for me.

Lastly, why would I start over? The idea of a resolution seems to have this notion of a clean break into something new. If I need to start something new, I need to do it now and if I'm doing well, I certainly don't want to give that up. I was pretty happy with 2011. I started exercising more, I drafted the first six chapters of 2717, my book on accountability, and I started accountability relationships with several of my friends, who have had a lot of success. I don't want to stop any of those things and I didn't have an eleventh hour epiphany of how I should do better. I'm always looking to improve.

So, I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2012, not because I have some great resolutions, but because I had a good 2011 to spring from. I know not all of you would say the same, I know some of you had a bad year. You also might have a bad January or February. Don't let that stop you or ruin your year. The time to set goals is today, tomorrow and always. Don't let a year get swallowed by a few rough months. Of yesterday was good, used it to make a better today. If yesterday was bad, start over today. I promise you this, if you want to have a great year, it needs to made up of a bunch of great days.

Happy January 2nd, 2012.