By Dani on January 2nd, 2009 in Talk

Tags: accomplish, calendar, clean slate, february, good intentions, h.l. hunt, lose weight, necessary steps, negative, new year's, new year's resolutions, pay off debt, quit smoking, want

We could complain about new year’s resolutions all day long. How dumb they are, how useless it is to make them, how easily they are abandoned, how they’re only encouraged to bolster gym membership numbers.

It’s easy to be negative about it. That calendar flips over and suddenly humanity swells with good intention. Intention that rarely ever sees February.  But maybe this year, instead of making a top 10 list of vague resolutions - lose weight, pay off debt, quit smoking - you could sharpen your pencil, get real, and ask yourself one question.

What is it that I want?

You want to play guitar, swim off the island of Santorini, Greece, help protect leatherback sea turtles or learn Spanish? Well how much do you want it? Because you are the only one who can take the necessary steps to make it happen. You can decide to do these things on any day of the year, but what better time than at the brink of a fresh, clean slate.

Instead of moping about new year’s resolutions, take some advice from H.L. Hunt,

“Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.”

What’s on your list of things you want to accomplish, places you want to see, people you want to meet? Are you trying to tackle that list proactively or are you whining at the thought of resolutions?

Image credit: moni