New year’s resolutions you can live with

If you are anything like me, every year you make new year’s resolutions and, again… if you’re anything like me, you’ve blown them as fast as you could make up an excuse.Well, I think I can help.You see my friend, you’re not a bad person (probably)… you just reached too high. You were destined to fail and then, once you did, you were too embarrassed and disheartened to give it another, ill-fated go.You probably gave the task very little thought. The holidays are a busy time and with the looming expectations of Christmas/Chanukah/Quanzaa/Arbor day, its no wonder you waited until 11:48 on December 31st to set your goals for the following year. You were busy dammit! Remember, I understand.This year will be different (Where have you heard that before?). Starting now, you have a sure-fire, four-point plan:

1. Start early.
2. Set your goals.
3. Get a plan.
4. Reward yourself regularly for your successes.

Start Early: Start now! Get a cocktail napkin and a crayon and get going… NOW DAMMIT, NOW!! Set your goals: This is where we make our biggest mistakes. We set unreasonable goals. Think back to the last couple year’s resolutions. Did you keep them… no. Are you just too lazy… no. Is there something so inherently wrong with you that renders you elementally incapable of accomplishing that resolution… no. Then it obviously was a faulty resolution.Here are some of the resolutions on my cocktail napkin. Feel free to borrow them as you see fit.Watch more TV: The world’s knowledge is broadcast 24 hours a day for your edification. Are you doing all you could be doing to assimilate as much as you can? I understand that the internet has a lot to offer as well but I haven’t been able to get on it yet.Strive to be more productive: Ever had that feeling that you are running on a treadmill? …never really getting anywhere? It happens to the best of us. So, why torture yourself? If you have a treadmill, trash it! Or, you could convert it into a coatrack or clothes drying appliance. That’s what we’ve done at our house.Get a Plan: Simplicity is the key to success in this regard. Your plan could be as simple as getting a subscription to TV guide or setting your TiVo to record all episodes of ‘Are you smarter than a 5th grader?’Reward yourself Regularly: Again, consider combining tasks for simplicity’s sake. Reward yourself by consuming snacks such as potato chips or cookies while you watch TV. Now that’s efficiency!I hope you have found some value in this post. If properly executed, by this time next year you could be smiling confidently as you consider your progress against the goals you had set.