Musings in December: Resolutions

Will your New Year resolution stick? Most resolutions do not work out, according to the self-help experts, because they are too general. It’s always better to be more specific, to have a goal.

That is true. But at the same time, New Year brings with it a unique kind of optimism – an opportunity to start with a clean slate. And the word resolution is a powerful, emotive word that plays a big role in this feeling.

So my thinking is, let’s try something different. Why don’t we call it a resolution-goal with all its implications, instead of just a resolution. So, instead of saying “I want to lose weight in 2010”, we can be more specific. We can spell it out this way: “My resolution-goal is to lose 5 lbs in 2010.” For someone who wants to improve his/her social network, it might be better to think of it this way: “Next year, my resolution-goal is to have lunch with one new acquaintance.”

For me, my resolution-goals are pretty modest this year. One is to complete a long essay by June. The other is to learn to cook one of these two dishes: crème puffs or mee siam which is a Malay noodle dish. I know, some people may see this  ‘either or’ strategy as a cop-out. But as my culinary ambitions are often more aspirational than practical, I think this is a strategy that will work for me.

So, here’s to the success of our resolution-goals as we welcome 2010. Happy New Year.