I must confess, in years past I was pretty negative about New Years Resolutions.  I seemed to make the same ones each year and so they felt pretty meaningless.  I would roll my eyes at the big crowd at the gym in January, knowing most would be gone by March.  My husband, on the other hand, was much more positive.  He loved making New Year’s Resolutions and spent quite a bit of time thinking which ones he would choose.   He actually looked forward to the chance to commit himself to something and was never deterred from past failure.

Perhaps he’s worn me down over the years , or perhaps a result of my years of teaching Health Ed classes with overflowing attendance in January, but my attitude has changed.  Seeing my husband’s enthusiasm combined with the look on the faces of all the eager people in my classes, I started to embrace the appeal of a fresh start to the New Year.  What is wrong with setting out with hope and good intention?  Isn’t it better to set them and be mindful of what changes you want to make, even if it only lasts a few months?  And even if the changes don’t last forever, perhaps you can learn and incorporate one or two new ways of doing things?  So, now I do make them each year, and actually enjoy the process.  Like making a wish on my birthday candles, I try to choose my resolutions wisely, with a dose of dreaming allowed.

Just to get myself in the mood this year, I looked up the definition of “resolution.”  Several meanings grabbed my attention as good inspiration (Collins English Dictionary):

1. A formal expression of an intention
2. The act of determining upon a course of action or procedure
3. A resolve or determination
4. Reduction to a simpler form
5. A settlement of a problem or controversy

These seem to combine to make a great recipe for transformation.  The first step to making any change is to formally define the goal and set your intention (1).  Then you determine your course of action (2) and add a heaping dose of resolve (3).  Keep it as simple as possible (4) and settle into the new way of being (5).

And the best thing about resolutions?  You can keep making them! Each year, each month, each day offers the opportunity for a fresh start.  Happy New Year!  May this year be full of love and meaning.