Make Yourself Over for Spring
Spring Ahead and Keep Those Resolutions
Feb 26, 2009 Carol Rzadkiewicz
December 31 seems like the ideal time to make resolutions since it is the eve of a new year. Yet people might be far more successful at keeping resolutions if they were made on “Spring Eve” (March 19). After all, winter is when the earth lies dormant, shrouded, and devoid of promise, but in spring the earth awakens, shrugs off its drab overcoat, and is once again filled with promise. It’s a time of regeneration and new beginnings.
Resolving to Change
On the eve of March 20, the first day of spring, you should resolve to do those things you believe will make you a better and happier person. For example, you might resolve to give more to charity, to visit an elderly relative more frequently, to lose weight, or to quit smoking and/or drinking. Ultimately, however, any resolution you make will be broken unless you also resolve to keep that resolution. In other words, you must make a solemn pledge to take the necessary steps to achieve any desired goal you set.
Following Through
According to Webster’s (2004), “resolve,” at least in the sense being used here, means “to reach a decision or intention; to determine;” and “resolution,” again as utilized here, means “the thing determined upon; decision as to future action” (p. 1210). With these definitions in mind, we can conclude that a broken resolution was never a true resolution in the first place; it was merely wishful thinking on our part. If we earnestly resolve to accomplish something, we will be determined to make that resolution a reality.
Taking the First Step
The first step is to establish your resolutions. What goals would you like to accomplish between this March 20 and next? What changes would you like to make in yourself or your environment? For example, is a your goal to lose weight? If so, you should resolve to shed those excess pounds but then take the necessary steps to make the weight loss actually happen. Join a gym. Purchase a pair of walking shoes or a bicycle. Rid the pantry of high-fat, sugar-filled foods. Find an accurate calorie counter (yes, calories do count), and then use it.
When it comes to making any resolution, however, you must set attainable goals. If your goal is to lose weight, for instance, you shouldn’t set the number of pounds so high and the deadline so close that you will defeat yourself before you have even begun. Instead, you should establish a reasonable number of pounds to be lost over a reasonable period of time. For example, you might resolve to lose a total of 25 pounds, but you should then decide how many pounds can realistically be lost each week, without setting yourself up for failure, and, based upon that figure, determine the date when those 25 pounds will have been lost. Then, once that goal has been established, you should resolve to take the next step, which is making the weight loss a reality.
Measuring Success
Contrary to what many people believe, success isn’t measured entirely by whether or not an ultimate goal is achieved by a set deadline. Success is measured in degrees. Maybe you won’t lose all 25 pounds by the established deadline. Maybe you will lose only 20 or 15, but as long as you have lost and not gained weight, then you are on the way to achieving that ultimate goal. The important thing is to remain determined, for if you remain determined, then you possess what it will take to turn not only this but any resolution you make into reality.
Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language (2004) New York: Simon and Schuster
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