Weekly Resolutions

Well, here we are: almost a week into 2013. The excitement and dedication to New Year's resolutions is wearing off a bit. Some people are still going strong, but others of us (including myself for some of mine) have already fallen off our resolution plan and are trying valiantly to get back on it.

I got to thinking about resolutions and the month or so during which we all try so hard to keep them. While it might be pessimistic to assume that everyone is going to fail (although statistically, most people do fail), I love the feeling that January has. Everyone is trying hard to do the "right" thing: eat better, work out, be nicer to coworkers, rekindle the flame in marriage, be more patient with kids, etc. Everyone is actively trying to do a better job in their lives. I love that! To me that means that no matter if (or when) people stop doing their resolutions, the first part of the year, whether it be a week in January or the first few months, is infinitely better than it could have been if people hadn't tried.

So what if, instead of making resolutions for a year, which is an awfully long time, we made one resolution for a week or a month at the most? I understand that it takes about three weeks to form a habit, but what about the person to whom three weeks seems like a lifetime? How can they possibly commit to that?

Weekly resolutions. That's all it would take to make our world an immensely better place. Because if you commit to something for a week and honestly try, you will see a positive difference. Then how could you not re-resolve that resolution the next week with new commitment and fervor?!

Also, weekly resolutions instead of yearly ones allows people to try more things. For example, I am an incredibly rigid perfectionist when it comes to schedules and tracking things. If I mess something up, I will almost certainly not continue it. Likewise, if I find something I would like to pursue in the second week of February, I will not add it to my "New Year's Resolution List" because I didn't start it in January, and it will soon be forgotten. Weekly resolutions would allow me to choose anything, anything, I wanted to resolve to try that week, regardless of when I discovered it. This would allow me to broaden my horizons without feeling guilty or "messing up" my schedule.

So. My weekly resolution for this week of January 7 through January 13 (Monday through Sunday) is to do yoga every day. I know it's incredibly good for me, I used to do it on a daily basis, and I have a time for it in my daily schedule. I am committing to following that for one week. I know it will make a positive difference in my life because I know it reduces my stress levels, which lessens the pain I'm in. The less pain I'm in, the more I can focus on helping the people around me which, in turn, makes me happy. Full circle!

Who knows? Maybe I'll end up with a habit again!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi