Your Need To Know

Ah, those dumb New Year’s Resolutions.  Most are made just for the sake of making them and are doomed from the beginning.

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.  ~Joey Adams

New Year’s Day:  Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.  Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.  ~Mark Twain

This is so true.  We make them and break them.  New Year’s Resolutions were made to be broken.  And there are hundreds of New Years quotes that poke fun at this phenomenon.  (See also Don’t Make Those Resolutions)

Now, I apologize to all of those who have more resolve then most, and are able to consistently keep and achieve their resolutions.  I congratulate you.   But for the majority, this is not the case.
What’s the key?  What’s the difference between these people and so many others?

He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool. ~F.M. Knowles

Could it be these people are goal setters and treat their resolutions like goals to be believed and achieved?  How do we make our well-intended New Year’s resolutions a reality in our lives?  We turn them into goals.  We just need to do the things that differentiate resolutions from goals.

First, you must know what it is you really want.  Don’t make resolutions just for the sake of having them.  Don’t say you are going to do or accomplish something just because it seems like the right thing to do.  Or just because you feel like you should.  Make sure it is something you really want to do.  You have to have that mindset.

A very good example is a bad habit or addiction.  Habits can be very strong, but not nearly as powerful as the human mind.  If you decide to quit a habit because it is no longer socially acceptable, is politically incorrect, or you know it is destroying your health or relationships, but you really enjoy it, you will likely never prevail.  On the other hand, if you have made up your mind to quit because it is something you really want, then it is much easier.  So, make sure whatever it is you resolve to do is something you really want.

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.  ~Oscar Wilde

Then we turn these things into goals.  We just need to do the things that differentiate resolutions from goals.  We start by writing them down, setting a deadline, and making a plan.  (See 7 Steps For Setting and Achieving Your Goals)

We all have a human need to feel that we are moving forward and making accomplishments.  For me, not having that feeling of accomplishment leaves a void in my life.  And we all know that goal-setters are the greatest at accomplishment.  Enjoy your feelings of accomplishment.  Make your New Years Resolutions Goals and go for them.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.  ~Oprah Winfrey

Happy New Year and may all your dreams and goals come to pass.

Gina

Technorati Tags: New Years Resolutions, New Year Quotes

I recently read of a meth lab bust at a farmhouse near our small town and I thought, “We didn’t have a drug problem when I was growing up.”  But then I thought, “I did have a drug problem when I was young.”

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.  I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and other social gatherings no matter what the weather. 

I was drug by by my ears if I was disrespectful to my elders.  I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, or brought home a bad report card.

I was drug to the woodshed if I did not speak with respect, if I talked badly of the teacher or preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in every thing that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I spoke a profanity.  I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to mow the yard, fix the clothesline, chop firewood or any other chore for some one in need, and if my mother heard of me taking a single dime in payment for these kindnesses, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

All of these drugs are still coursing through my veins, and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin.   If today’s children had this same kind of drug problem, the world would be a much better place.

God bless those parents who drug us.

Gina

The Joy of Giving

There is no more special time of the year than the holiday season to reflect on what is important in life and all we have to be thankful for.

This is a time for giving and a time for sharing.  A special time when we seem to be more forgiving of the way things are; more forgiving of the way some people are.  We are more willing to be nice, or be courteous, or to exchange a smile.  We seem to be more apt to do nice things for others.

While many of us frequently do nice things for others throughout the year, the frequency is multiplied this time of year.  Don’t we feel good about how we are at this time of year?  Isn’t it true that we feel good about giving? Yes, you always feel good when you give to others.

How about doing something thoughtful, or giving a gift of kindness, and never telling anyone about it, ever?

When we do things for others, they usually know where it came from.  We are certain to mention our acts of kindness to them or someone else and seek their approval.

Because when we share our own niceness with someone else, it makes us feel like we are thoughtful people.  It reminds us of how nice we are and how deserving we are of receiving kindness from other people.  The ego part of us wants to say, “I am special.”

We should give for the sake of giving and not for receiving something in return.  We really do feel good when we are giving.  Our rewards are the feelings we receive from the act of giving.  Why diminish them by letting others know what we have done?  Why not revel in all the positive feelings of giving? 

Think of something really nice that you can do for someone else, and keep it all to yourself.  Keep all the warm feelings and joy of giving all to yourself. Your ego can still say, “I am special” but you will say. “I feel special.”

You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.   Albert Schweitzer,  French philosopher & physician (1875 - 1965)

Gina