January 2, 2019

It is that time of year when many people make resolutions about goals to accomplish and habits to change. There is debate as to how many are fulfilled or broken, but it seems that most are never accomplished beyond the first few weeks. I have pondered why the success rate is so low.

Impulsive plans need to undergo realistic evaluation before making a resolution.  Rather than simply planning to lose weight, the goal could be to develop discipline in eating smaller portions, avoiding certain foods and exercising more. Each of these can be accomplished in small steps and over time have positive results.

Accountability is important in fulfilling our plans. Learning a new habit is easier and can actually be fun when someone else is doing it with us. It is important to have someone ‒ or several people ‒ know what our resolution is and feel comfortable encouraging us to stay on track.

We need to determine why we are pursuing a new plan. Are we doing it for ourselves because it will make us a better person, or are we trying to get the approval of someone else? Motivation is key to accomplishment.

A proverb suggests that our life decisions are the product of our thoughts. Resolutions come from our thoughts, so it is important to make sure we are thinking correctly when we set goals. It is important to evaluate the reason for a decision so that we can be sure this is something we want to accomplish so much that we will follow through no matter the cost.

In a day when commitments are too often carelessly made and therefore easily broken, the making of resolutions needs to be a serious decision. Failed accomplishments tend to discourage us and set a pattern for believing that we cannot succeed. Someone once said, “Nothing succeeds like success.”

Pastor Bill Ehmann