IMHO-46
January 3rd, 2011

Happy New Year!
Have you resolved to stick to your New Year’s resolutions? Is this going to be the year? Or do you even bother with them at all? You know, avoiding setting yourself up for disappointment and everything?
Some experts say that setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with your resolutions. Thanks for the expert advice. If it were that easy we wouldn’t need life coaches or motivational speakers and Oprah would weigh 130lbs all the time!
Whoops. Now I’ve gone and broken one of my new New Year’s resolutions already. I was going to be a lot more positive this year and try to cut back on the sarcasm. I guess I lost my focus there. But what the heck, you’re supposed to go with your strengths, too, aren’t you? Oh well, it was way down on my list anyway.
What’s the New Year’s Resolution protocol then? Once you break one are they all cancelled? Or do you just keep going down the line? What’s the optimum number?
Maybe I’ll just follow the experts’ advice then. A reasonable goal, eh? Perhaps I should work on that nasty old procrastination. I should resolve to start these articles before the morning that they are due. Yes, now there’s a good start. Oh-oh. Whoops again. I’ll have to put that one off ‘til next year because this article’s already due today and I just got started. Damn. Scratch that one off the list, too.
Okay, here’s one that’ll fly. I’m going to resolve to dig out those old Tony Robbin’s motivational tapes from the 1990’s and get a little of my focus back. Thank goodness I haven’t gotten to last year’s resolution about finally cleaning out those closets and storage spaces and throwing away all that old junk that’s been accumulating for years. See how procrastination can be your friend, too? Now if I can just find a cassette player I’ll be set.
Better still, maybe I should go by the old adage, “Those who can’t do…teach.”, or, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say”, you know, that kind of thing. That’d take the pressure off don’t you think? Hmmm, I think I’m onto something here. Just like Tony, I too could become an expert! Why not? I can preach to others about how to set reasonable goals and stay focused. I’ve always been pretty good at telling others what to do anyway. And who knows, it may even help me be more positive myself. Yup, I can hardly wait to get started on that. I’m going to get to it just as soon as the World Junior Hockey tournament is over.

“Resolve to renew all your old resolves,
And add a few that are new,
Resolve to keep them as long as you can
What more can a poor man do?”-Author Unknown.