New Year’s Resolutions? Nope.
Adjusting our state of mind works even better.
Something always bugs me about the idea of making all these resolutions. Thinking about it, I could see my only long-lasting habits resulted from a profound change in priorities. And I rarely succeed in creating a new behavior until I’ve gotten rid of the old one.
Changing deeply held beliefs means we have to dig deep into that inner yucky stuff we want to ignore.
We can remind ourselves of the words attributed to Socrates: The unexamined life is not worth living. And we do want a life worth living.
Imagine this scenario as you watch someone raise a glass of champagne at 11:59 pm on December 31. This will be my last taste of alcohol for the coming year. I know those two or three daily drinks aren’t good for my health.
Do you think that resolution will work? Doubtful.
Health matters, but not enough. I’ve found activities that provide an immediate reward of temporary relaxation and a jolt of pleasure often hide a deeper need. Changing these habits means we have to look further still, at the why. Are we hurting somewhere that’s hard to see?
