Five New Year Resolutions You Should Not Make

Here we go again, hashing up our usual list of New Year resolutions, because for some reason making promises to ourselves seems more poignant, more real if we begin them with a New Year. But there are some resolutions that perhaps we should not make, some promises that are to important to break again year after year. To keep making these resolutions every year, are we setting ourselves up for failure? It seems we might. Here’s a short list of predictable, popular resolutions that are often not always kept.

1. I will go on a diet beginning January 1. This resolution could be the most popular in America, and it is one that rarely if ever should be made. If you are serious about losing weight, you should not have to wait for a special day to start the diet. A serious diet will begin at any time, when you know you are resolved and ready.
2. I will stop smoking. This New Year dance is up there with diet promises and goals. The best way to stop smoking is to just stop, period, now, with no set date to begin. Your health is much too important to play ‘Just a few more packs and I am done.’
3. Exercise. Again, no set date required. Get up from your computer/iPad/smart phone now and go for a walk. That’s the resolution you need. Setting a date to begin is like setting a date to end.
4. Eat healthier. Okay….I’m going to pig out on fat, greasy food for the rest of the year, feel like crap and then all of a sudden start eating healthy. That’s a plan designed to fail. Healthy eating can start right away, even if you still eat a little unhealthy on top of it. Go to the store and buy a few tangerines. Incorporate number 3 above with it and who needs a New Year resolution?
5. Find a new job. This is one goal that definitely should not require a start date. Good jobs are very difficult to find. If you really need a new job, start now- it could take some time before you have success. Besides, everyone else who made this resolution will also be looking. Get a head start and get noticed during the holidays.