Now that we’re more than halfway through January and you’re about to give up on your New Year’s resolutions, consider this an attempt to reassure you that you’ve made the right decision. Resolutions don’t usually work. I decided not to set any this year, which is why I’ve paid attention to the writers whose views support my decision.

The most common argument deployed against resolutions is that we don’t follow them, at least not for long, usually because what we hope to achieve calls for replacing old habits with new ones. Recently I read about a study which showed that habit changes take anywhere from 18 to 254 days. Here’s what happens: many people’s resolutions target weight loss; 254 days is too long to live without chocolate; there goes the resolution.

I’ve found that I’ve been more successful losing weight in the past year without resolutions. There are many reasons for this, but one is that I didn’t set a target, create deadlines or put undue pressure on myself, all things I associate with failed past resolutions.

A few writers do have positive things to say about adopting resolutions, especially ones that focus more on serving our families and communities, than on personal gain. In “Thirty Thousand Days,” a publication of the ToDo Institute, Gregg Krech developed a list of 10 actions to get the year off to a good start. My two favorites are to complete unfinished projects and improve attention skills. As good as they sound, I’m making no commitment to either. At this age who has time to seek perfection. In fact, I feel comforted by the opposite sentiment expressed in a haiku by Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827).

 

New Year’s Day –

everything is in blossom!

I feel about average.

 

Ann Oxrieder has lived in Bellevue for 35 years. She retired after 25 years as an administrator in the Bellevue School District and now blogs about retirement at http://stillalife.wordpress.com/.