Making Resolutions that Stick How can I get organized this year? by Mary May Larmoyeux |
| Although it’s easy to make resolutions, it’s often hard to keep them! Here are four tips to help make those resolutions stick: 1) Think of the acronym S.M.A.R.T. (How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci by Michael J. Gelb):
The key to successful goal setting is to make specific, achievable, relevant goals. You know what they say about a goal—if there’s no deadline, it’s only a dream. Also, it’s a good idea to not only be accountable to ourselves, but also to a loved one or good friend. 2) Spiritual Goals: When we want to make some specific spiritual goals (perhaps for more patience, understanding, perseverance, etc.), it's helpful to choose a Bible verse or passage that deals with that spiritual trait. For example, if I want to model compassion, a good passage to meditate on is 1 Corinthians 13 (“Love is patient, Love is kind ...). That was my “passage” one year, and God gave me plenty of opportunities to call His words to my mind and into my heart. I've found that it's helpful to ask a loved one to tell me how I'm doing with a spiritual goal—am I walking the talk? 3) Physical Goals: Talking about exercise gets us nowhere. My husband and I joined the YMCA a couple of years ago. At the time I wanted to exercise there three times a week and do aerobics twice a week. Well … I am going to dance aerobics. Even after two years, it's still hard for me to get up for the 6 a.m.aerobics class. But somehow I do it ... most of the time. This year I want to add exercising at the Y one day a week. (My resolution two years ago to go to aerobics and exercise three additional times a week was just not realistic for me.) 4) Have an Attitude of Gratitude: There’s no better time than now to start a “Blessing Journal.” If we jot down just one blessing each day, we will be reminded of God's daily mercy and goodness. It’s amazing how many ways God has blessed my family and me. And it’s also amazing how easy it is for me to forget His never-ending faithfulness. |
Mary is the author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to
Simplify Life and the co-author of The Resurrection Eggs®
Activity Book. She and her husband, Jim, live in Little Rock,
Arkansas, and have two married sons and five grandchildren.
You can contact her at mary@marymaywrites.com.
Simplify Life and the co-author of The Resurrection Eggs®
Activity Book. She and her husband, Jim, live in Little Rock,
Arkansas, and have two married sons and five grandchildren.
You can contact her at mary@marymaywrites.com.
Copyright © 2008 by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
