You've had a week to recover from Christmas and think about the year ahead. Have you made any resolutions for 2013 or do you steer clear of do-or-die, once-a-year goal setting?
What began as a tradition of performing simple, good deeds, according to 43Things.com, has become a modern-day practice of resolving to break bad habits, such as smoking, or eat healthier and exercise, or get out of debt—all tasks that are "easier said than done," according to some experts. After all, "The best laid plans o' mice and men [often go astray]," as Poet Robert Burns wrote in the ever-popular Auld Lang Syne.
Maybe we should resolve to stop making New Year's resolutions. Of the 45 percent of Americans who usually make resolutions and the 17 percent who infrequently do, only 46 percent maintain them past six months. While only 8 percent are successful in achieving their resolutions, according to Statistic Brain, 49 percent report infrequent successes and 24 percent say they never succeed or fail on their resolutions each year.
Setting more realistic and specific resolutions is key, along with sharing your goals with others who will hold you accountable and setting measurable landmarks and deadlines, according to WebMD.
Lots of times in my life I have taken a big running jump at some new effort, and stumbled badly. New Year's resolutions are the official moment to dust ourselves off, look at what we learned, and try, try again! That being said, I refer back to Statement # 1 - every day is a fresh start : )