Monday, January 4, 2010

Resolute over Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone!! For some reason, everyone feels like they have an automatic reset button and this is going to be the year for you. It's that time when you can get crackhead deals on gym memberships and a couple extra free weeks for weightwatchers. A personal trainers Christmas.

According to many of the personal trainers I know, January 21st is statistically the date when most, if not all new years resolutions are broken, forgotten or abandoned. Personally, I think unless you're running a company, or talking finance, new years resolutions are a crock, probably conjured up by some huge corporation to feed off of consumer greed and gullibility...like most holidays....like valentines day.
Sidenote: If anyone does not know by now that Valentines day was invented by Halmark and Hershey to boost sales during the great depression, then you just need to look that up on your own time. Yeah St. Valentines and blah blah blah, but last I checked, Jesus, didn't paint eggs at the last supper and the Easter bunny was not a disciple either.
Point of clarification: I am probably the biggest fan of goal setting and self improvement you can find, HOWEVER new years resolutions annoy me. I think setting a goal to improve yourself, primarily...rather, solely because.........[sidenote: I don't think I've spelled out "because" in AGES!!] its a new year is a piss poor reason. You're fine with your weight and eating hog-fried-hog on December 31 and suddenly at 12am you need to stop? When I used to do sports clubs [sidenote to self, write about why I hate sports clubs], there was a waiting line for the bench or any machine in the start of January. Come February, you could shoot an RPG from one end clear to the next, right through the treadmills and wouldn't hit a soul.

I love definitions. My favorite for "resolution" is "a resolve of determination." Why not commit yourself to year long, life long "resolve of determination?" If you need a solution to something, odds are you had the issues before December. Here's my recommended resolution, if you absolutely MUST make one: become resolute on personal development and self improvement 24/7-365. I understand the need to reflect at the beginning and end of the year but become more self critical and identify areas of improvement as they arrive. You can stomp out a brush fire when it starts much easier than when it becomes a forest fire.

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