Happy 2008

The new year has been here now for seven days. As with most new year occurrences, I have made an "unofficial" resolution. Last year, I wrote in my MySpace blog that new years resolutions are meant to be broken; they don't really last and therefore are not of much value. So last year my resolution (yes, even after the diatribe I had against them) was to make a daily resolution to forget the past and continue looking forward. (I think that was the gist of it) Of course, looking back over the last 365 days, I can't say I kept that resolution either.

So this year, I'm changing my mind. I don't think new years resolutions are useless. It's just that one shouldn't make some half-hearted determination once a year and then forget about it. Or worse, when it fails give it up until next year.

Define a Goal
I decided that the best way to keep a resolution is to actually have it be something you latch on to by making it a part of your daily life. That would mean to take the abstract idea and make it into something concrete that exists in the real world. An example would be if my resolution was to lose weight. That idea is abstract. How much weight do you want to lose? Twenty pounds? That's at least more defined. The first step into taking the abstract idea and making it a reality is to define it in exact terms; to make it into a goal you can actually determine whether or not you met. "I want to lose 25 pounds by December 31st" is a fully described goal. When you get to December 31st, you will know whether or not you met the goal.

Create a Plan
Once you have your goal, you can start to determine how to make it happen by creating a plan to meet it. For something like weight loss, we all know that the best way to lose weight is diet an exercise. So for this example, a plan would involve changing your diet and starting an exercise routine. Once you have the exact details of the plan in place, you can actually begin implementing the plan in your daily routine.

Stick to the Plan
The thing that matters at that point is sticking to the plan. That is, having the discipline to stick to the routine for the next 365 days. If you got through the first two steps, this is where things get difficult. The problem is that it's not easy to develop a new habit. And in this step, your plan might involve developing several new habits. I'm not going to delve into the details of how to successfully develop new habits, but if you can do it, then you will be on a path to meeting your goal.

Make Adjustments
If you've made it to this point, then the next step is to make adjustments as necessary to meet the goal. It could be that the goal is to easy. Maybe you'll lose the 25 pounds in six months. Then what? Or the goal could be too difficult. Maybe you'll get to June and only have lost five pounds. In either case, you will need to make adjustments. In the first case, you have met your goal early. So you could make a new goal to lose another 25 pounds if you need to. Or your goal could be just to keep the weight off. In the second case, you could modify the plan to include more exercise, or more changes in your diet. You may also need to review the goal to see if it is really reasonable or not. In both cases, the adjustment could simply be to modify the goal. I think this is reasonable because if you were able to define a goal, implement a plan to get there and actually stick to the plan for six months, then I believe you have been successful. Whether or not you are able to lose the full 25 pounds is not as important as the fact that you have stuck to your plan.

My Resolution
So in the end, my resolution to start out with is to carry out the above steps for just one thing. That thing is to get my remodeler's license. This blog is where I will track my progress.

Here's to 2008.