It’s a brand new year, which means many are trying hard to
keep their New Year’s resolutions. Many
of the resolutions people make are directed towards self-improvement such as
losing weight, being more organized, or managing time better. Some resolutions are geared towards dropping
bad habits, such as quitting smoking or drinking less alcohol. Many resolutions are geared towards improving
personal finances or career improvement.
I’m not sure how many people make New Year’s resolutions but
a 2007 study showed that 88% of people who make resolutions fail to keep
them. Frank Ra, author of A Course in Happiness, states that “resolutions
are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the
benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining
your resolution.”
I am making only a few resolutions this year but I want to
share them in hopes that I will be successful in maintaining them. My resolutions are:
- Spend more time in prayer and spiritual study
- Let the people who are important to me know of their importance to me more often
- Spend more time finding joy in my everyday existence and dwell less on the ugly
- Spend more time with the people who matter and less time with the people who don’t
- Be more polite and nice to people
- Be more patient
