The holidays are officially over and our annual commitment to resolve has resurged with a vengeance (as it tends to do this time of year). For most of us willpower and resolve are cyclical, they ebb and flow throughout the year with our greatest commitment to change being in these first few weeks of January.
Our resolutions often revolve around self-care, weight loss, exercise, and various healthy eating habits – which is perhaps why they are so difficult to keep. In the midst of this season of resolve let’s stop for a moment and entertain the notion that it isn’t our dilapidated willpower causing us to falter but rather the very nature of our resolutions. Part of the reason resolutions are so hard to conquer is that while the end results of these actions bring pleasure, the process tends to be a bit on the painful side.
Maybe it’s time to reevaluate our resolutions. Just maybe there’s a path to New Year’s based personal betterment without the associated guilt, disappointment and faltering. A recent article on giving back as a method of self-care may just be the answer. The author writes about the unexpected sense of fulfillment and well-being she found by engaging herself in volunteer work. There’s certainly something to be learned here. If we face away from ourselves and embrace resolutions that help others, we can both experience and spread joy. We can feel the good without the guilt. We can extend the success of our resolution beyond the first few weeks of January.
Our vision for 2020 is to embark upon a few of those standard resolutions (and try to beat the odds in keeping them), but to add some new ones in the mix. Commitments to kindness and community, resolutions built to last. Join us in this endeavor of outward facing resolve. We pledge to share our stories with you throughout the year here and on social media and urge you to share your experiences in the comment section below. #staykind
