Resolutions: the February update

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going." --Earl Nightingale


So here it is, February first. January was 31 short days long, but this year is still pretty darned new. And so, it's been about a month since SCADS of us mumbled something about easing off the cheeseburgers - or gin, quitting the coffin nails, thinking we'll sign up at a gym, start yoga, start using our turn signals, stop the gossip, stick with whatever resolutions we dropped LAAAAAST January (that would be '04), get back on the quest to make a good habit of whatever we've been missing most (or felt guiltiest about) in our lives.

So don't let those good thoughts slip by the wayside. It's 2-1-05, another first, so let's (some of us) show some stick-to-itiveness.

How about this for a resolution: review and renew your resolutions the first of every month.

January is sort of a dazed month - and dark, too, in more ways than one (see my Jan. 25 post below). I have been gone from home myself since January 11th - better than cabin fever, I suppose.

I did keep to my resolutions to write my blog M-F and to read four books a month.

One of those books recommended that we look at our use of language regarding these things that really matter - the things we most want to accomplish, the ways we most want to be. In his book "Life's Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Really Matter," Hal Urban urges us to transform our "dreams" and "wishes" and "hopes" and RESOLUTIONS into "GOALS."

As Urban says, "goals are dreams with deadlines." I'm sure many of us can relate to the absolute necessity of having deadlines we have to take seriously. We know: we've got to make ourselves not just "positive" and hopeful, we have to get ourselves to be accountable as well.

Supposedly, that's what resolutions are about. But to really become resolved, we've got to prioritize, focus and persist. And I'm agreeing with Mr. Urban - deadlines are the bottomline on getting and staying resolved.

If we get focused on our goals and persist, our resolutions will take care of themselves. Going for the goal, we'll BE resolved.