Resolutions are tricky.
The New Year inevitably brings with it the desire to change something for the better. We’re socially conditioned from birth to believe that the New Year is an opportunity for improvement and for making resolutions based on the knowledge gained in the previous year.
By the process of logical deduction, one comes to the conclusion that resolving to improve upon oneself means that the reward for the resolve should be greater than the sacrifice. And here is where I take issue.
When do I get to claim my reward? Where’s my resolution remuneration?
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know that every resolution I’ve ever made has met its end at some point. That weight I resolved to lose, it was lost and then gradually it came back (it’s like that crazy ex-boyfriend that never quite stops stalking you). My resolutions around money usually never come to fruition. There’s always some bill, some trip, or some unforeseeable catastrophe that requires me to pull out my wallet and fork over whatever money I had previously saved. And then of course the breaking or collapsing of the resolve leads to inevitable let down.
I’ve decided to claim my resolution reward upfront in 2008. I resolve to reward myself as much as possible; any demonstration of resolve will be rewarded with a little self-love. Every time I pass the cookie jar, one ‘good for me’ thought is redeemed. Every time I pass up a shoe sale, one ‘way to go girl’ is awaiting my ego. Maybe these small incentives aren’t enough to make a big enough difference in my life, but there’s absolutely no way this approach can be less successful than my previous attempts at life-altering resolutions.
