No New Year's resolutions, please!

Did you make your New Year's resolutions? Lose weight?… work out?… learn a new language?… spend more time with loved ones?… contribute to the blog?

Don't do it!!!

Think about it. What were last year's resolutions? the year before that? Have you ever kept even one resolution? New Year's resolutions fall under the same category as worrying about your kid being abducted, or being killed by a terrorist (unless you are an Iranian scientist). They are fantasies of a sick mind out of touch with reality. Remember what Einstein said about insanity.

As further proof of the evils of New Year's resolutions, I give you a quote offered on this blog by James (via David Foster Wallace)

...a foible of neurology that keeps us from meeting our own high standards consistently can put us in a terrible bind. Our options are to (a) try, fail, and struggle to avoid becoming utterly defeated; (b) fail to try and struggle with self-loathing; (c) try with every ounce of effort we can summon, succeed, and leave ourselves too exhausted to succeed again, or to want to try; (d) lower our standards and meet them, but struggle with the thought that we have cheated ourselves and the world of our best.

There are many reasons why you will not keep your resolution, but I'll leave that to the psychologists. But I will offer you an alternative—New Day's resolution!

A New Day's resolution has the following characteristics:

• It is singular. No more than one resolution per day. 
• It is specific. No french fries today… run 2 miles at lunch time… make your to-do lists in French today … visit mom/grandma… put your favorite joke on the blog. 
• It is today. …Duh. 
• It is doable. Unless some unforeseen tragedy happens, such as being mistaken for an Iranian scientist, you have the time, money, and ability to do it. 
• It makes you feel good. Barring an unforeseen tragedy you will accomplish it so (a) you don't become utterly defeated; (b) you try the same day you make the resolution so there is no self loathing for lack of trying ; (c) it wasn't that hard, so you're not burnt out; (d) your standards are just as high since this was just a little boulder in that big mountain of standards. 

My New Year's resolution is 'I will make no New Year's resolution this year' which may or may not be resolved in a Hofstadter paradox. But even if I don't keep my resolution (like everyone else), I'll have my New Day(s)'s resolutions to thank.

Happy New Day!