Resolution

The only resolution that ever worked for me was not New Year's resolutions, not making shoot-at-the-moon goals, not using sheer force of will to become a perfect person, but small, daily practices, repeated for a short period of time, like a month or better, a week.

Going back to my vitamin experience, I bought  a B vitamin complex with 300 pills, 5 years ago. I figured that 300 pills, given the missed days, would last me about a year. I am still taking them. They have expired; I have refrigerated them, and I am still taking them. They have lost their potency, but I am going to finish them and celebrate the throwing away the empty bottle with confetti.

Finally I am getting close, and the reason is that I hardly miss a vitamin day, now that I have a week-long daily vitamin dispenser.

If I wait till the beginning of the year to make changes, that is a big decision requiring a lot of concentration and constant focus, day in and day out, and long term memory and commitment. Too much actually because I wouldn't pass the tenth day.

If I wait till the beginning of the month to begin a change, like this blog, started on September 1st - I kept it up for 9 days, then I missed a day, and then another and now the beginning of the month is here and I'm going for another run.

But what if I vitaminized the habits I want to create? Start each week with the goal to not miss a day. Oh, I will miss a day, but 6 days are better than none. Five days, four days, even three days for better than none. And I just have to keep it up for a week, and then I start over until it is a habit, little concentration and will power needed.

That is what works for me.