How to Keep Those Life-Improving Intentions on Track

One of the most common New Year’s traditions around the world is that of making resolutions.

This act dates back approximately 4,000 years ago to ancient Babylon, the most famous city in ancient Mesopotamia. The natives there reportedly made promises to their gods at the start of their new year,  in March, beginning with the first new moon after the vernal equinox. (You can read more here about the fascinating start to this ancient practice that many of us have since adapted.)

Why do we now do this in January? It was Julius Caesar who moved the beginning of the year to that month, whose name comes from the two-headed Roman god Janus: his dual faces looked both in front of and behind him, thus making him a perfect symbol of both the future and the past.

Ever since then, January has been seen as the optimum time for contemplating the past and then making life-boosting decisions to affect the future.  Below are tips on how to enhance your chances of sticking to them all-year long.

Reasonable, Reality-Based Resolutions

Resolutions are often promises made to ourselves at the beginning of the shiny new year, when excitement and hopes of self-improvement are at their peak.

This revitalizing energy may fade away, however, as the months go on.  To prevent that from happening, follow these steps:

• Your time and energy is valuable, so your resolutions should be something in which you really want to invest (saving for a vacation, losing weight, trying out another career). In other words, if the goal is not truly worth your time – i.e. the payoff is small – then it’s likely you won’t last long in the endeavor.

• So above all, make your objectives worthwhile, manageable, and realistic.

• To get started, set smaller goals on a timeline to reach the end result: if you break down a huge goal into a series of simple steps, you are more likely to achieve it than trying to attack it in one big leap. (For instance, if your target is to run two miles every morning, start out by doing just half a mile the first day, then gradually build up.)  See here for more pointers on this astute, easy-does-it practice.

• Then, take careful, encouraging note of your progress, and reward yourself after each small step is completed.  Ideally, these rewards should be completely separate from the goal, and not derail it in any way; if you are trying to get slim, don’t follow up a three-pound weight loss by treating yourself to a frosted donut, saying “it won’t count.”  Instead, indulge in an afternoon at the movies or a paperback you’ve been dying to read.

• Next, make the goals personal, and share them with others; set an intention that you are passionate about and let it be known. Why this works: it’s easy to make excuses in your head if you’re the only one that knows about it, but if others are aware of your goals, they’ll ask how it’s going, and help you achieve it along the way. You can read more about this friendship-bolstering process here.

• Make your aims into daily mantras: write them down, keep them close, and be aware of them every day. You can even jot them on your bathroom mirror with a dry-erase marker, or tape them to the dashboard of your car, so you’ll read them each morning and night.  Whatever the method, do something that will remind you all the time of your intentions.

Galvanizing Guidance from Smart Women

If, after following all of the stages mentioned above, you still get into an occasional funk and need some inspiration from Sharp Ladies, here is a compilation of quotes that should give you a stirring start to your resolution list and maximize its success:

On BEING:
“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” — Karen Ravn, inspirational author

On BEGINNING:
“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.”  — Liz Smith, longtime NY columnist

On MAKING A DIFFERENCE:
“If you feel rooted in your home and family, if you’re active in your community, there’s nothing more empowering. The best way to make a difference in the world is to start by making a difference in your own life.”  — Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress

On HEALTH:
“You are as important to your health as it is to you.” — Terri  Guillemets, writer

On ACCOMPLISHMENT:
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”  — Gail Devers, Olympic track and field star

On STANDING OUT:
“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” — Maya Angelou, writer and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient who regularly hosted New Year’s Day parties

On CHANGE:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, famed anthropologist

On BUSINESS:
“The single and most dangerous word to be spoken in business is ‘no.’ The second most dangerous word is ‘yes.’  It is possible to avoid saying either.” – Lois Wyse, trail-blazing advertising executive

On GOALS:
“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” – Diana Scharf Hunt, writer

On the FUTURE:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady

On SUCCESS:
 “To be successful, the first thing to do is to fall in love with your work.”  — Sister Mary Lauretta, teacher

On RISKS:
“And the day came where the risk to remain tight in a bud was greater than the risk it took to bloom” —Anaïs Nin, writer

On BEAUTY:
“Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humor and a good approach to life, that’s beautiful.” —Rashida Jones, actress

On BOREDOM:
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” —Dorothy Parker, writer for the New Yorker magazine in the 1920’s.