Simpleology Blog

Just today, two of my friends called me up to ask if I could be their New Resolution buddy. One wanted to quit smoking and the other wanted to lose weight. Before I could agree to or reject their request, I had to ask, "What does that mean?"

Operation Resolution
As a New Year Resolution buddy, I would be the guy they could call whenever they feel like they're about to fall off the wagon. You see, both my friends had tried making their respective resolutions for 2008. For one reason or another, they had both failed to make them stick.

"Look," I told them, "I can't commit to being your on-call New Year Resolution buddy. I support your efforts but I can't be your babysitter. One of my resolutions this year is to quit spreading myself too thin and I will break it if I sign up to help you keep your resolution. Besides, you would feel better if you manage to pull it off all by yourself."

Thankfully, my friends happily respected my decision. "Anyway," as one of them put it, "I bet there are many people with the same resolution who are also giving it another crack."

Timeless List
As it turns out, my friend knew the New Year Resolution crowd quite well.

A comparison of two New Year Resolutions surveys done by FranklinCovey Products shows that people are likely to make the same sort of resolutions. Could it be because they don't follow through on their good intentions?

Unfortunately, that, indeed, seems to be the case.

According to the survey's findings, forty-three percent of the 527 respondents say "they are not committed to the New Year's resolutions they set." The most popular reason for not being keen on making good on New Year resolutions was given by 25 percent of the respondents, who state "they have too many other things to do."

The survey further revealed that that more than 75 percent of respondents will break their New Year's resolutions within three months and almost one-third will break them by the end of January.

Good Intentions
Despite the daunting stats, people continue to make New Year resolutions year after year. (The practice is so popular that there's a site devoted to it.)

My theory is that people continue to see the start of the New Year as their chance to turn over a new leaf and start living a new and improved life. This aspect of the whole New Year resolution ritual is cool. I'm all for resolutions that aim for self-empowerment and self-improvement.

Then again, as the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Bottom line: Making New Year resolutions is great, but you have to commit to them. Otherwise, you'll just be going through the motions of making a resolution you have no intention of keeping every year. That certainly doesn't call for any New Year fireworks.

So, if you're making resolutions this year, make them stick. Though it may be hard to quit smoking (or any other vice) or start a fitness routine, keep in mind that you're doing it for your own good.

Want to know how you can make your resolution stick? For starters, you could sign up for Simpleology 101: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want and learn how you can use the Daily Time Praxis to live the life you want.

Happy New Year, everyone!