This feature of our blog is where our in-house readers share tips, anecdotes and thoughts about things that come up in their daily practice. We received so much feedback on the first blog relating to New Year’s resolutions that we now have this Part 2 [feel free to ping me and share your thoughts – they will be posted anonymously or with attribution, whichever you desire]:
1. “I absolutely love new beginnings and these resolutions. For me, the key to a successful New Year’s resolution is accountability and consistency. I set several New Year’s goals this year but only accomplished the one where I also set a clear path to achievement (month-by-month) and partnered with a friend to keep me motivated. As a result, I was able to finish my goal of walking/running 2021 miles this year by mid-October, and I’m now on my way to 2400+ miles by New Year’s Eve!” – Stephanie Bignon
2. “I’m a bit methodical about the year-end. I write out an annual assessment of how I performed against various personal goals I had established in my prior annual assessment. So I do set new goals each year. I find that writing this out in a multi-page letter each year is both cathartic and useful to assessing whether a particular goal is realistic and truly desirable.” – Tonya Harding Doe
3. “I divide my resolutions into three types. First, I have my short-term resolutions. Something that I want to work on right now and have it be a temporary reset. Then I pick one or two long-term resolutions where I want to make a change in my life on an ongoing basis. Finally, I set a few intentions – things that would be nice to change but I’ll be compassionate with myself if it doesn’t work out.” – Zippy “the Pinhead” Doe
4. “New Year’s resolutions are a strange bird. There will surely be scant resolve to see them through. But the thought was nice. And you can do it all over again next year.” – Pete Townsend Doe
5. “Instead of making resolutions, I pick a word to inspire my intention that year. For 2022, my word is ‘connection.’” – Olga Korbut Doe
6. “I generally bat .300 for my intentions. About a third of them make it to the finish line. In baseball, that batting average would make me worth $20 million a year. So not bad.” – Johnny Bench Doe