OyChicago blog

12/30. The thing is, every year we make resolutions for the New Year. Exercise more, be a better son or daughter, be more spontaneous, etc. etc. And maybe we intend to keep these resolutions, but do we ever? Does anyone ever?

If you keep up your resolution through February consider it an achievement. How many people do you know you who boast about accomplishing their resolution in November? Of course there are some rare exceptions – the middle-aged woman who joins Jenny Craig Jan. 1 and is 25 pounds lighter by the following Jan. 1, or the divorcee who quits his job and travels the world for a year. But of course these are the exceptions ...

I’ve never really kept a resolution. Sure, every year I think there are things I could do better, probably a lot of things I could and should change, but my motivation runs out. So how do you keep yourself motivated to change something in your life this New Year?

12/31. I admit, I thought about it over the past 24 hours and I got nothing. I honestly don’t know how you keep a resolution, whether it is big or small, kind of dumb or really significant. Maybe you just have to want it, and if you don’t want it that bad it won’t end up changing. But that means I’ve never wanted anything that bad, so that can’t be right. Maybe you should stay small and set goals that you know in advance are doable. Remind yourself – write your resolutions down.

Maybe the secret is not making a resolution at all. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. But then again, my New Year’s resolution is to be less cynical.

I needed some inspiration today, so I asked my friend Leah who has been living in Israel for the past year and a half what her New Year’s resolution was, and how she intended to keep it going all year. Her response was to “practice gratitude everyday” even if that that sounds, “super crunchy” because living in Israel has put things in perspective. Now that’s a resolution I thought, and one that she will probably actually follow through with. (My other friends’ resolutions were to send out greeting cards, and to watch less Kathie Lee).

So this New Year, every time I feel myself becoming a cynic I’ll try to remember Leah and her resolution, because if she can keep hers why can’t I keep mine? Enter motivation.