Resolutions: Why We Make and Break Them

Resolutions. We often make them as each year comes to a close. But most of the time we break them too.

I bet you can still remember the countless activities you decided to quit or avoid, or the activities that you made a firm conviction to start doing or uphold. Maybe you decided to quit smoking and start daily exercise. Perhaps you promised to spend more time with family, and start saving up for a grand vacation with the family. The classic one is to reduce the fat by starting a healthy diet.

I bet you can also remember the countless of reasons that went through your mind for breaking your promise.

Why do we continue to make resolutions despite our constant habit of breaking them?

Resolutions give us a sense of achievement and fulfillment. Even before the actual promise is fulfilled, the act of making a sincere vow to do it is enough to satisfy our egos. Resolutions also give us a sense of direction. Most of us are goal-oriented and even though we might not be able to achieve it due to conflicts in our attitude and personality, knowing your goal and being determined to achieve it no matter the pace is enough reason to make one. Finally, resolutions provides us with hope -- false hope, to be more precise. However, this applies to do those who constantly break their promise. By making resolutions, they give themselves hope that they'll be able to change the status quo that they are in even though they don't actually have the courage or the ability to fulfill them.

I remember, back in high school, my constant resolution is to keep a written journal of my daily events. Of course, with my studies and other distractions in life, I wasn't able to keep this all throughout the years that passed by. And yet, I still make that promise every year because even though I may not be able to stick to it all year round, at least, achieving it at a painstakingly slow pace is enough to give me a sense of fulfillment. I may not be as disciplined as Samuel Pepys in keeping a journal, but having one is enough achievement.

For this year, I have a different resolution though. I would like to cut back on procrastination and focus more on taking the bull by its horns. A lot of opportunities has passed me by, especially in terms of my writing career, but for next year, I am making a firm commitment to accept whatever opportunity comes my way and never let it slip. And of course, I also wish for better health by eating more vegetables, drinking more milk, taking in more water and getting more sleep. As for my loved ones, I would like to hone more understanding and patience for them. These are tough times they're going through and what better way to be there for them than by understanding what they're experiencing right now.

I wish everyone who is following this blog a blessed and fruitful Happy New Year! Whatever your resolution this 2011, I hope you will achieve the fulfillment you are looking for in it.