{"id":546,"date":"2017-01-01T22:58:34","date_gmt":"2017-01-01T22:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=546"},"modified":"2017-01-01T22:58:34","modified_gmt":"2017-01-01T22:58:34","slug":"new-years-resolutions-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/01\/new-years-resolutions-work.html","title":{"rendered":"New Year’s Resolutions That Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pexels-photo-24503<\/a>New Year’s resolutions are a wonderful tradition. \u00a0We always should be striving to improve ourselves and our lives with each passing year. \u00a0The problem with New Year’s resolutions is not our trying to better ourselves, but rather\u00a0how<\/em> we go about doing so.<\/p>\n

Resolutions tend not to work when they are based on quantifiable goals. \u00a0“I will lose 10 pounds.” \u00a0“I will make X more dollars per year.” \u00a0“I will get 8 hours of sleep each night.” \u00a0Those are all laudable goals. \u00a0But the challenge is that achieving them isn’t necessarily within our control.<\/p>\n

Your weight is certainly a product of your diet and exercise routine. \u00a0However, it is also affected by your metabolism, your stress level, and your sleep patterns. \u00a0Your salary is dictated in large part by how hard you work. \u00a0However, it is also affected by the economy and current job opportunities. \u00a0And you can try to get 8 hours of sleep every night, but sometimes job and family responsibilities can get in the way of that. \u00a0So trying to achieve quantifiable goals can be discouraging.<\/p>\n

It is far better to make New Year’s resolutions that focus on changing your lifestyle. \u00a0For instance, last year I gave up drinking coffee. \u00a0That may not seem like a big deal to some, but I was drinking nearly a pot of coffee a day. \u00a0That one small change had a dramatic effect on my life. \u00a0The caffeine had been making me jittery, and it wasn’t good for my teeth. \u00a0Since giving up coffee, I feel much more relaxed, and my teeth are whiter!<\/p>\n

There are lots of lifestyle changes that we can make which are nearly painless, but which can make a big difference. \u00a0For instance, you can improve your health by committing to taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. \u00a0You can improve your diet by including a small salad with every evening meal. \u00a0You can improve your intellect by watching television only two nights of the week, and reading books on the other five nights of the week. \u00a0You can save money by making your coffee at home every morning, instead of buying it from your favorite barista. \u00a0The ways that we can improve our lives by making small lifestyle changes are endless.<\/p>\n

The beauty of making these types of small changes is that they are easy to do, and they have a larger impact than we realize. \u00a0Just taking the stairs at work burns a surprising number of calories and tones your leg muscles. \u00a0No expensive gym membership required! \u00a0These kinds of changes eventually become habit, and they end up being lifelong, lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n

As you consider your resolutions for this coming year, don’t work about your extra 10 pounds or the size of your bank account. \u00a0Instead resolve to make small, but meaningful, changes to your lifestyle. \u00a0You’ll find that those resolutions not only will stick, but they will allow you to improve your life permanently for the better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Year’s resolutions are a wonderful tradition. \u00a0We always should be striving to improve ourselves and our lives with each passing year. \u00a0The problem with New Year’s resolutions is not our trying to better ourselves, but rather\u00a0how we go about doing so. Resolutions tend not to work when they are based on quantifiable goals. \u00a0“I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29],"class_list":["post-546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-new-years-resolutions"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Year's Resolutions That Work - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/01\/new-years-resolutions-work.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Year's Resolutions That Work - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New Year’s resolutions are a wonderful tradition. \u00a0We always should be striving to improve ourselves and our lives with each passing year. \u00a0The problem with New Year’s resolutions is not our trying to better ourselves, but rather\u00a0how we go about doing so. 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