This is the time of year that we ponder new goals, make new resolutions only to see them fall by the wayside in a week or month or two. Instead of making new resolutions for 2013, why not do something novel like completing the old ones.
No doubt, we all have old resolutions that we have either totally forgotten having ever made, or simply gave up completing them. As a result, we may have experienced guilt, defeatism, inadequacy, and a host of other negative and non-productive feelings.
This year, why not give yourself a break.
Instead of making new resolutions, take a careful look at few of the old ones and work on completing those. You can simple resolve to work on making things better. For example, instead of say making yet another resolution to lose 20 lbs (or whatever your number is), just integrate healthy eating habits, and exercise into your daily routine. Chances are you will lose weight and feel better; the lasting result could be an overall healthier lifestyle.
Revisit resolutions of years past and prioritize the critical three or four, whether they involve self, family, career, or community, and honestly assess what you had hoped to accomplish vs. what you actually did, and simply pick up where you left off.
This approach offers immediate benefits. First, you can shed the long-standing guilt or baggage that you carry — consciously or subliminally — about always starting something and never completing it. You will take corrective actions and that feels good within itself. And, you will really do something that you should have done long ago.
You are also likely to find a new sense of energy, after shedding the weight of all that guilt, by taking on other interests and activities as these opportunities present themselves during 2013.
Sound to simple? Well when considering your track record of keeping past New Year's resolutions, isn’t completing old ones worth a try?