New Year’s resolutions tend to be kind of a one-shot gig. There’s one day of the year when you can make them, and you get one chance to stick with them. If—or undoubtedly when—you break your resolution, you’re done. And you have to wait another year to try again.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, here are a few ways to ensure this year is better than last year, and tomorrow is better than today:
Any day is a good day to make a resolution.
January 2 is just as good as January 1, as is March 17, October 7 and December 22. In fact, every day when you get out of bed, resolve to do one thing differently or better. So, just because you missed New Year’s Day, doesn’t mean today can’t be the first day of a year of living better.
Put your resolutions in writing.
It seems that everybody and their brother posted #resolutions on twitter, but I would bet few took time to put pen to paper. When you physically write something, you’re significantly more likely to
remember it.
Say them out loud to someone you care about.
Saying something out loud to someone you care about makes it far more real and personal than simply spouting to the world what you’ll do.
Resolve to live in grace.
You will break your resolutions. That’s ok. Instead of throwing in the towel, just get back in gear. The tendency in dieting, for instance, is if you blow it at breakfast, to then take the whole day off and blow it all day… I mean, why not? But one miss is different than a day full of misses.
In the same way, people I know (ahem, me.) who try reading-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plans, will occasionally miss a day or three. It’s always harder to read 4 days or a week’s worth of readings to get back on track than just today’s reading… so, instead of just quitting, give yourself a little grace and just pick up where you should be.
Oh, and next time, don’t wait so long to pick it up again.