Why You SHOULDN'T Make a New Year's Eve Resolution ...

Source: www.australia.com

Yes, it's New Year's Eve and that means it's time for another 'reflectioning' post, despite the fact that we had a reflectiony post two days ago, and another last week.

I hope you're feeling reflectiony.

So. Here's the Enid advice. DON'T make a New Year's resolution.

(I'm giving up sugar.

You?)

Anyway, you're not supposed to make resolutions apparently because the MAJORITY of people do not stick to them beyond January and then become depressed and lose money because they pay for gym memberships they never use, instead of looking at the fall off the wagon as one mistake and then getting back on. They feel worse instead of better, and completely dismiss the benefits on the headstart to their health (because the NYE resolution is a hard-ass. Make one mistake and you have BROKEN YOUR PROMISE and what's the point in EVER TRYING AGAIN because she, Miss NYER, won't forgive you, you've obviously proved you're not RESOLVED enough to be perfect).

Even Jenny Craig said "it's not what you do once in a awhile, it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference" (and she should know because she makes millions every year by telling people this, along with the fact that they can be skinny if they only eat her food and follow her plan without somehow expecting people to realise that if she was telling the truth she would have gone out of business a decade ago because no one would return ... whoops).

But, in all seriousness, there are always things we can do better.

Here are my Top 3 suggestions:

1) Health-related goals are supposed to be the most popular resolutions made, so I won't buck the trend but maybe we could stop beating ourselves up for bad moments and if, by mistake, we happen to fall on the floor one evening and a piece of chocolate falls into our mouth let's all still go for a walk the next morning.

2) If you like to get your charity on, go to Meshel's Laurie's recent post:

Which charity do you support?

(And before you say, the 'me charity' the Enid school-teacher lecture for the evening goes something like this: if you have wardrobe to put your clothes in, a roof over your head and a bank account you are in the richest 25% of the world so yes poverty is your responsibility, unevolved blobs excluded of course).

3) Be kind.

This quote may be corn but I like it because I think it's true.

"We can as individuals do so little to help the sad and suffering in the world - the lonely, the bereaved, imprisoned, despised, exiled, sick in mind and body, the cold, the hungry.  Yet we can reach out to those within our knowledge, with courtesy and kindness, an unexpected gift, a visit.  Treating them with the respect they deserve.  Honouring their courage.  Listening to their stories.  For every kindness spreads in a shining circle: See how good people everywhere set rings of light moving across the darkness, rings that link and interlock." Pam Brown (born 1928 - not the Australian one, who was born in 1948).

There is a tiny voice inside my head that says "well, that's a bit patronising, it seems to divide people into 'them' and 'us' and sometimes it is the people with the least that give the most but I think that's missing the point" (and is a completely different quote).

I think Brown's words are the way forward from moments of despair:

As a disclaimer, don't be kind if you don't want to. No one needs your burning martyr smoke to add to our climate change woes, and true kindness looks stupid with a bitter expression. But I would like all of those of you who are hard on yourselves to remember  that just because you are a bum one moment doesn't mean you have to be an eternal bum, and that you we all have the power to make the world a little more sparkly if we really want to.

It's kind of like pay-it-forward, only in small doses with easier things. Surely we can all do that.

Skate or die!!,

Enid.

PS Have you made any NY resolutions? Or maybe you've just thought of a way to make the world a better place?