"Forget me not." - New Year's Resolutions

With the end of week one most people have deemed themselves winners or losers of resolutions. Eleven days into January, there are those who have started their resolutions and are hoping to continue and those who have failed to begin and now feel that it’s too late to begin (it’s not, you’re just 11 days behind, out of 365).

See: Top 10 reasons we don’t stick to our resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions always create a mixed set of emotions in me. Lofty, vague and immeasurable are the reasons for the death of my resolutions, as I never know whether I’ve accomplished them or not (e.g. network more: Are there a certain number of new people I must know by the end of the year? Do they have to be friends? Do the few people that I’ve met at events count even though I’m not in touch with them anymore?) Yet, every 31 of December I find myself making a resolution.

The urge to make resolutions seems tied to the desire to set goals and the opportunity to restart. However, the process of making a resolution is even more beneficial as it forces a person to reflect on the past year and realize what s/he wants to work on and what is lacking in their lives at present.

See: Why we make New Year's resolutions? 

However, when looking at the resolutions that people make, it all seems to come down to self-control. “No more chocolate.” “Junk food limited to once a month.” “Shopping sprees once every two months.” “Socialize more and meet new people.” “Try new things.” “Blog more.”

Self-control: control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc.
© dictionary.com

All these resolutions encourage individuals to practice self-control – controlling eating and spending habits and controlling fears or laziness and time management.

At the core of self-control is self-awareness. One must be aware of him/herself in order to control him/herself. So if resolution-making isn’t your thing or if you’re giving up on your resolution already, at least give the reflection part a chance. Think about what you would like to modify about yourself if you were to make a resolution. This process in itself reveals much about what you think of yourself, your characteristics and more importantly areas that you’d like to improve.

Image © Jeff Epp via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/eppstein/5724341693/

Resolutions on food = health and appearance
Resolutions on spend = money conscious
Resolutions on socialization = feelings of belonging; mental health; professional development

Check out the top 10 New Year’s resolutions here.