How to Keep Your Resolutions from Going in One Year and Out the Next

Angelina Jolie, deservedly, topped Reuters’ 2007 Humanitarian poll for both her work as a U.N. goodwill ambassador and for raising awareness of suffering in Africa.

What exactly does that have to do with anything?

Just this:  Several years ago (when she was in the news for vials of blood, kissing her brother, etc…) the sentence above would have made a pretty good joke in Jay Leno’s monologue.  Angelina Jolie…humanitarian?  Ha ha ha. 

But, she turned her life so completely around that, now, when you hear the name, your first thoughts are of her being a wonderful mother and a serious actress. You also think of her as being very active in the causes she believes in.  You think of her generosity overseas as well as at home in the aftermath of Katrina.  You also, of course, think of her dinner companion, breakfast companian, and lunch companian - Mr. Pitt.

If Self Help Daily gave “Person of the Year” awards, she would also top its list. I have nothing but respect for anyone who looks out their window, sees suffering and injustice, and goes outside to do something about it.  It’s so much easier to just close the blinds.

I’m in awe of the work both Angelina and Brad do, but I’m even more in awe of the way she turned her life around and pulled her name up out of the gutter.  Amazing.

It’s proof to all of us that anything’s possible.  One of my favorite sayings has always been, You aren’t known for what you did - you’re known for what you do.  You can erase yesterday’s mistakes with tomorrow, but you have to make your mind up today to do so.

Once you have a firm determination to do so - encourage yourself with the mantra Make It Happen.  It’ll serve as a reminder that:

1. You CAN make it happen.
2. Only YOU can make it happen.

It does, of course, take more than a strong resolve to get there from here. We have to set ourselves up to succeed rather than to fail.  The key factor in the success or failure of most New Year’s resolutions lies, not between January  to December, but on New Year’s Eve.  You can pretty much tell THEN if your resolutions will be a failure or a success.

How?  By answering one question - “What am I doing to make my resolutions happen?“  If your answer is, “I’m writing them down,” you’ve set yourself up to….more likely than not…have to write the same resolution again next year.  And the next.  And the next.  (I’ve been there!)

So, what is the secret to making the Resolutions actually stick?  Glue! Writing resolutions down isn’t glue - it’s just words.  The only way to turn the words into reality is to provide yourself with the tools to make it happen.  Think about it, the reason we keep writing the same resolutions down year after year is we never set ourselves up for success.

For example…

• If one of our resolutions is to be more organized, yet the only thing we ever do to make it happen is to write the words, “Be more organized” - we aren’t making it happen, we’re wishing it would happen.  But if we invest in a file cabinet, more shelves, a desk calendar, and maybe even a day planner - we’ve given ourselves the tools we’ll need to make it happen.
• How about losing weight? If we don’t do something proactive to make it happen, it’ll never be anything but a lovely dream with a trim waist and firm arms.  But if we invest in a gym membership, an exercise machine, a subscription to Prevention, or some great exercise DVDs, we’ve given ourselves the tools we need to make it happen.
• If we want to eat more healthy foods, we have to outsmart ourselves at the grocery store.  If we go when we’re fairly full, we’ll be more apt to buy healthy foods - to the tune of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains…  Also, falling in love with Subway is another great tool. I promise, a healthy sub and a bag of apple slices will give you more energy for the rest of the day than any other lunch could ever hope to.  Sometimes, doing a little research (not only finding what foods are good and what foods are bad, but finding WHY their good or bad) can be a perfect motivator.
• For the infamous resolution to keep your home or closet neater, investing in special crates, shelves, and closet organizers can turn the words into reality.  Also, we should all go through our things and haul off anything and everything we don’t absolutely love.  We’ll be doing a good deed and tidying up at the same time.
• Speaking of good deeds, if becomming more active is a goal - and I give you a cyber pat on the back if it is - doing a little research into various charities and causes will help steer you in the right direction.  Going through and writing reminders to ”support” your cause on your desk calendar (you know the one that’ll organize your 2008) on certain days of the month will help keep you honest.
• If you have a tendency to speed, begin getting ready and leaving at least 10 minutes earlier.  Then, there’ll be no need to hurry.  In fact, you’ll probably end up driving slower to kill more time. 
• If you’re one of the many who want to start reading more, place books (whether it’s the Bible, historical non-fiction, or novels) in strategic positions:  Near your favorite seat in the living room or den, in the bathroom, by your bedside.  If they’re on the shelf all day, that’s probably where they’ll stay until the next day.
• If you want to learn a new language - go out and buy cassettes and cds that’ll help you.

Basically, whatever it is you want to accomplish, make it easier on yourself.  Give yourself the tools you need to make it happen!

I mean this from the bottom of my heart - I hope that every day of 2008 is more than you dreamed it would be.  I hope that you live well, love much, and laugh often.  You can do anything you set your mind to and you can be anyone you want.  Peace, happiness, and joy! - Joi