Try to remember last year’s resolutions. Did you succeed in keeping them? How many commitments were there? And how many did you keep? Do you remember them at all? After answering yourself to these questions, consider the new ones that just came to life thanks to your enthusiasm at this time. I am sure you are very determined to keep them. Your confidence is at its apotheosis as it should be at every New Year’s resolution time. But just right before it explodes, give a chance to decency. Based on your previous rate of keeping your resolutions, what are the odds for these new ones?

New Year’s resolutions are a sort of a custom. And such, lack of actual determination. You make those because everyone makes them at this time. Sure it is wonderful to give yourself a new chance. But are you really doing that?

1. The timing of these resolutions can be very much okay. But also it should be okay at any time of your life. If you prefer, at any time of the year.

2. The nature of the resolution is with great probability okay too. Supposedly we all know where we need to change, what we desire to change in ourselves, in our lives.

3. The will to carry them through is to be seen here.

All the enthusiasm is wonderful at this time. It gives the new hope. And seemingly, it gives some sort of energy to start the change. But it doesn’t last for too long. And then what? I think you know what follows from this point. Essentially, you slowly start explaining yourself why you don’t have the mood for it right now, postponing it, twice, and then forgetting about it.

Even the best reasoning weakens your will

What happened here? Instead of carrying through your commitment, you are using your energy to figure out the best explanations for why you should postpone or stop it. In the backgrounds, invisibly you are weakening your determination, your own will. These kind of explanations are rarely new to you. And now you have to wait a whole year to make new ones…

The will to carry through commitments is a rare bird. We all should be extremely careful when making resolutions. It is nice and easy to make them, it is tough and hard to keep them. Enthusiasm is not enough. It helps you with the decision, but soon it vanishes.

Will needs to be cultivated.

Determination empowers will. Some people seem to have it without doing too much for it. Others need to cultivate it. Cultivating it takes time. Not just one year.

Start with only one goal. One step at a time. Be clear and sincere with yourself when deciding. Start with something so easy to achieve that it makes you smile. If there is the slightest chance to be overwhelmed, find and easier one. You will be amazed how difficult it is to hold up your determination in carrying through the easiest commitments. You can even carry through a nonsensical action. I was once told about a will exercise to break a picker at noon, every day, for a month. The idea is to get in touch with your will. To bring it to the surface. Once you get along, you can go for the big commitments. But your will is fragile at first, approach it slowly. Never hurry, never engage in a commitment that overwhelms your actual power of will.

Remember not to give in to the temptation of New Year’s exuberance for resolutions. Even if everybody does that. If you will give up, it will weaken your will as any other unfulfilled commitment. Even if it feels so good to be in the collective enthusiasm. Enjoy the fiesta, but do not hurry to precipitated resolutions.

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