Resolve to make a beginning

We are in the middle of the second quarter of 2023. How time flies. At the start of 2023, there was so much excitement about making resolutions to become better persons.

Every year our resolutions range from keeping fit and healthy, physically and financially, to being patient and kind, more spiritual, and so on… There’s so much determination to achieve them. Some use diaries to make notes, and the more tech-savvy keep track of their mobile apps.

As January ends, the enthusiasm to stick to the resolutions diminishes for various reasons – late working hours, family chores, other newfound priorities, and so on. The resolution to lose weight nagged me when I delighted in that extra portion of dessert. Or I lost my cool with my children when I vowed to count to ten. Or I felt too lazy to go for a walk to stay fit. Gradually, many resolutions fell by the wayside.

Shellen Lubin (American director and writer) encourages us: “Begin again. Begin again. Every year, every day, every moment, begin again.”

On the television series Caught in Providence, Judge Frank Caprio, who presides over a municipal court in Providence, Rhode Island, US, motivates the defendants who jump traffic signals, park in no parking zones… It's okay to fall, but what’s important is that you pick yourself up with the determination not to make the same mistake.

When we resolve to change something that we are not happy about, it’s a new approach to our lives. And this can begin any time of the year, not just at the start of the new year or during work appraisals. Maybe the approach to achieve our goals, may not have been the best one.

So how can we ensure that we are successful? The most important tip is to choose goals that are important to us, not to others. Each one of us knows our limitations and the feasibility of achieving our resolutions. So, start slowly.

Keep track of your progress with the help of a friend and a diary; measure your efforts every week instead of everyday. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t go for a walk one day, or you yell at the kids when the resolution is to tackle situations calmly.

Every day, not just New Year, is a time to reflect, and then make a resolution to use a new approach to rebrand to a new day resolution. Good luck!