What will it be this year? Pledging to get back in the gym, clean the attic, or donate more to charity? While such ambitions are well-intentioned, they are simply not effective! Year after year, a remarkable number of resolution setters never reach their goals. But the problem is not that we are lazy. The difficulty is usually the resolution itself. Think of what your goals are for 2008, and ask yourself the following question:
How can you quantify whether you have succeeded or failed?
Sure, saying that you want to get in better shape, eat healthier, or spend more time with your family has its merits, but if you are really looking for a resolution that can be achieved, make your goals more concrete. Instead of "getting in better shape," why not try to run a mile under 7 minutes or do 20 pull-ups without stopping? Instead of "eating better," cook a balanced meal at home twice a week. If you want to do something advantageous for your life, there's probably a way to quantify it. Goals that are well-defined are much easier to tackle psychologically!
On that note, here are a few resolutions that I've come up with for the 2008 calendar year:
1. Read more actively - read at least 10 books and take detailed notes (influenced by this Tim Ferriss post)
2. Wake up to see the sunrise at least 5 times
3. Get at least 20 RSS subscribers on Alpine Project
4. Keep track of everything that I spend
5. Complete Arnel Ricafranca's 16-week workout
Cheers to a healthy, fruitful, productive 2008.
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