“People need revelation, and then they need resolution.” – Damian Lewis
Are resolutions worth making?
Online grocer FreshDirect reports1 that lots of their customers fall short of keeping resolutions. Customers’ liquor and wine consumption picks up by forty percent in February. At the same time, juice-cleanse sales drop by twenty-five percent. They report that sales of ice cream and desserts grow by fifteen percent and pizza is consumed at a thirty-five percent higher rate in February. What’s the deal with February? A study by Foursquare, which is an app that tracks businesses and places where people check-in, found that February marks an increase in visits to fast-food establishments and an abandoning of trips to gyms.
Resolutions are hard. They often aren’t kept. But, are they worth making?
I come down on the resolutions are worth making side of this debate. A resolution is a special type of goal. Goals are good. Without goals we tend to drift through life, randomly responding to the circumstances. With goals, we get in the driver’s seat. We make proactive decisions to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Goals based on healthy and life-promoting values help us make the world a better place.
That’s really the key. We need to ask ourselves why we are making a particular resolution. Is it grounded in true north principles or on a passing feeling? If it’s a good goal, break it down into smaller bits so you can celebrate little wins on the way to the big win.
So, go ahead, make some resolutions. Base them on healthy, godly, deeply held beliefs and values, then pursue them daily. When February comes, do a check-in with yourself, pick up the slack, and keep moving forward.
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1"Online grocer finds New Year's Resolutions last about a month" in The New York Post, 2-21-2016