Friday Question #176
What do you guys think of New Year’s Resolutions – pointless or useful?
Image from this hilarious auto resolution generator – check it out!!!
I am kind of in the pointless camp* – I think we should be striving to better ourselves year round, rather than thinking about it once a year.
But! That doesn’t mean a few ideas have’t popped in to my head about things I really need to work on improving more. So maybe these are my pseudo resolutions? Am I changing camps? Hmm.
- Take better care of my hair – get it cut every 6-8 weeks.
- Pay full attention to people when they are talking to me. Less distractions – quit doing what I am doing to listen.
- Work on my anger problem. Technology mishaps really make me angry these days – a deep anger I can feel in the pit of my stomach. This is ridiculous.
Short and simple.
Bonus Question!
What is something that was not a resolution of yours for 2011, but you think you did really well at?**
I did a really good job this year of making and sustaining friendships. I am a bit in the loner camp***, and am really independent. I’ve had a hard time staying close with people throughout life – I keep in touch with no one from high school, and hardly anyone from college. But this year some of my existing relationships really flourished, and I made some new ones. This makes me feel like I have been missing out on friendship until the last few years. Spending time with my close friends makes me feel so good. There is a special love and support between friends… I just feel lucky to have found that.
Wow! CHEESY OVERLOAD!!!
*I didn’t make any last year, but I did make running goals (which I will go over tomorrow!).
**Sorry for the weird sentence structuring/ending in a preposition.
***What is it with all the camp references?
Themocracy
I’m all for setting short and long-term goals, but I think that New Year’s resolutions are pointless because they tend to be unrealistic. It’s more logical to set smaller, more realistic goals because you’re less likely to get overwhelmed.
My goal today is to get on the elliptical. Will that happen? It depends on if my baby takes a nap. 😛
Couldn’t agree more!
I make goals for myself every year and find them useful, as long as they are true goals that are measurable and can be tracked in some way!
I don’t really do resolutions – I find them to be so cliche for some reason. Why wait for the New Year to start a goal? Start a goal say in the middle of October!
I like making resolutions are new years because in a way it is a fresh start. I guess I just use Jan 1 as the start of tracking my running miles so I use it as a starting of a new me as well. But I usually try to stay healthy, eat healthy all year round. Usually what happens is Brian and I go to his moms house and I eat like crazy and then I think ok, Monday I am going to get back on the good eating train! so its really a day by day, week by week thing for me. Jan 1st is just a start of a new year, so I try to think of things to resolve to do, but usually never set them in stone. Ok rambling comment…oh my!
I try to have goals for the year, but I don’t call them resolutions. It’s nice to have something tangible to review throughout the year, for me anyhow. Keeps me on track.
YAY for new friends!! I feel really lucky about that this year too – it’s been good for me in so many ways 🙂
I don’t understand the pointless debate with New Year’s Resolutions. How are they pointless? It’s not really about “Oh, hey, it’s a new year! Let’s make some goals for the next 2 weeks!’ But more of a, “Yes, a fresh start! What do I want to accomplish over the next twelve months?” I don’t understand how they are different from setting monthly goals or even a Life List. Sure, some people set themselves up for failure with their goals but that’s because they’re not thinking about them in the right way. Or giving up if the first month doesn’t happen the way they wanted to. For me, New Year’s Resolutions are a way for me to keep track of my progress throughout the year and for me to shoot for goals throughout the year. I am a huge goal-oriented person and I think having long-term goals to strive to meet throughout the year should never be seen as a bad thing.
Maybe I just go about my resolutions differently than most people that they aren’t pointless to me? I mean, one of my resolutions was to get to my goal weight. I didn’t even come close but since it was on my list, I kept striving for it every month even though I knew I wasn’t going to hit it. And because of that, I exercised consistently every week in 2011 for the first time in my life and kept trying to eat healthier when I could. So while I didn’t meet this resolution this year, I did a lot more than I did the years prior.
I’m writing a novel-length comment, ha. I have strong opinions about New Year’s Resolutions and I think they get a bad rap! I think as long as you go about them in the right way and keep referring to them throughout the year, they are anything but pointless.
(Oh! And another point! I know goals change throughout the year so that’s why some people don’t like them which I totally understand. I had a goal of running a half-marathon in 2011. Didn’t happen so I scrapped it for a new goal of just being able to finish a 5K without stopping. That didn’t happen EITHER but I still kept striving for it & trying & I am CERTAIN it will happen in 2012. OK. Now I’m done. I promise!)
I love your thoughtful novel length comment. 🙂 I think the reason they are so pointless to some people is because they are not planners, like you. And they don’t know how to modify goals, as the year goes on. And they set unrealistic goals that are unattainable, or too many goals at once! I really like your monthly goal idea. And that you change things as you go – I am like that too. But for so many people it’s “all or nothing!” And after they fall off the goal bandwagon in the beginning of the year they are done.
I really do think we should set goals all year long. So many people don’t think about it until now though! Goals aren’t pointless for you, but I wouldn’t really say they are the same as New Year’s Resolutions. It’s something that is on your mind all year long 🙂
I didn’t make any resolutions for 2010 or 2011, but plan to for 2012. Which are mostly carry overs from previous years: make more videos, write more, exercise more. Those are really the three things that weigh on my mind just about every day. And they are the things I love to do and want to do. I’m hoping to see how I can accomplish these more in 2012.
I wrote about this in my blog (and you commented on it 🙂 ) so I won’t go into great details, but basically, I stopped making “resolutions” (vague stuff like “eat better” “exercise more”) and instead try to set tangible goals (this year it’s “run a marathon”) Usually by working towards those goals, I naturally do the resolution-y stuff like exercise more. Otherwise, if I want to make improvements in my life, no time like the present to start. But I think using a calendar year for goal setting is just easier. And it feels so good to be able to cross stuff off a list. (Even if it’s just mentally crossing it off, or blogging about it.)
I think as long as you make specific resolutions or goals then it’s all good. And I like the idea of starting it in January because November and December are such crazy months filled with overindulging that it feels good in January to get back on the wagon.
I’m not into the whole resolution thing – aka “I will stop eating chocolate” – because, let’s face it, that’s never going to happen for me! 🙂 But I do like setting goals for the New Year, and I’m working on compiling mine today. As sad as it is, I don’t think I really set any goals for 2011 – I guess I decided I need a “rest” year. 🙂
I’m on the fence – at times, I make resolutions, and often they don’t come to fruition. That said, I do have plans for the year and often take on new projects. I like, however, the attitude that we should always try to ‘work’ on ourselves in different ways. As for January 1st as the line-in-the-sand moment, as a teacher, I have so many chunks of time for which I can make goals. I actually love that aspect of my job because I can make professional AND personal goals for the short-term and longer-term.
As for 2012 – I’m not going to a blog post about resolutions (I still need to get Christmas up!), but my major goal is to connect with a Tri group.
I don’t really make resolutions either but I do have a few things I’d like to work on. One thing I did in 2011 that I never dreamed I would was run a marathon. It had never been a dream of mine but I decided to do it and I went for it and I’m proud and happy I did.. Happy new year, Kim!
I wish your resolution was to get jiggy with it. That’s awesome.
I usually set an intention to focus on for the year then I make a little list of practical stuff I want to focus on. I’m posting that tomorrow. 🙂
I think New Year’s resolutions can be a good thing. But only because I think setting goals for yourself and giving yourself a deadline can be a good thing. Someone could just as easily set a goal on April 17th and give themselves 3 months to complete it. Same thing.
I do think it’s stupid when people make vague New Year’s resolutions that they don’t keep. Like, “I’m going to get in shape!” Those people just crowd the gym (or in my case the yoga studio) for a couple months and inconvenience those of us that go year round.