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Kinda Real
By Kinda Adra, Staff Writer

 

Beirut, Lebanon - How many of us make New Year resolutions but never seem to achieve them?
How many of us decide to quit smoking, just to find ourselves smoking even more or drinking, gaining weight, etc.? All of us!
 
The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 BC. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions, and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged beer before the beginning of each year.

There is a right and wrong way to make a New Year’s resolution. Here are a few expert tips to see that your resolution actually makes a difference:

1. Create a Plan

Setting a goal without formulating a plan is merely wishful thinking. In order for your resolution to have resolve, it must translate into clear steps that can be put into action. A good plan will tell you what to do next and what all the steps required to complete the goal are.

2. Create your plan IMMEDIATELY

If you are like most people, then you will have a limited window of opportunity during the first few days of January to harness your motivation. After that, most people completely forget their resolutions.

3. Write down your resolution and plan

Keep a journal or note book and write your resolution plan in it. People tend to achieve things more when they write them down where they could keep track of what they have and have not done yet.

4. Think “Year Round,” not just New Year’s.

Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year’s resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point. You must develop a ritual habit for revisiting your plan.
 
And finally….

5. Remain Flexible

Expect that your plan can and will change. Life has a funny way of throwing unexpected things at us, and flexibility is required to complete anything but the simplest goal. Sometimes the goal itself will even change. Most of all, recognize partial successes at every step along the way. Just as a resolution is not accomplished the say it is stated, neither it is accomplished the day you reach your goal. Rather, it is accomplished in many small increments along the way. Acknowledge these incremental successes as they come.

Good Year and Good Luck!