Welcome 2010!
New Year's Resolution Guidelines
     Happy New Year everyone!  I am writing this special edition blog in hopes of helping my readers to have a more fulfilling and productive life in 2010.  Many people create New Year's Resolutions but have trouble initiating them or maintaining consistency with them.  I would like to share some history of New Year's Resolutions as well as some guidelines for setting and maintaining them.
     The idea of New Year's Resolutions is estimated to date back to Rome in 153 B.C.  January, the first month of the year in Rome was so named after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances.  Janus was depicted as having two faces, one in the front and one in the back which enabled him to gaze forward and backward simultaneously.  The ancient Romans envisioned Janus looking back on the old year and forward to the new year at midnight on December 31st.  Thus, Janus became known as the symbol for New Year's Resolutions.          
     Here are some tips for setting New Year's Resoutions that will have a lasting impact:
1)  Determine what could have been done differently in 2009.
     Using Janus as a model, it is helpful to look back to 2009 to figure out why your aspirations were not met while simultaneously looking ahead to 2010 to see what can be done differently.  Example: "In 2009 my goal was to start exercising more but, I never made the effort to join a gym or an exercise class."  "This year (2010) I will find an affordable gym in hope that it will motivate me to start exercising."  Putting in the effort and spending the money could act as the propellant that was absent in 2009.
2)  Create specific goals and objectives. 
     Many people set goals that are too general.  For example, "I want to lose weight this year."  Be more specific by saying someting like, "I want to lose 38 pounds in six months."  This gives the amount of weight to lose and the duration in which it is to be achieved.  A goal is a major task that is to be accomplished over a longer period of time while objectives are smaller, incremental tasks that can be fulfilled to aid in reaching the overarching goal.  If the goal is to lose 38 pounds in six months then some objectives might be to start exercising three times per week for 30 minutes or to limit all liquid intake to water and tea for the next six months.
3)  Implement realistic goals and objectives.
     All too often, people set goals that are too much to handle.  For instance, if your goal is to start exercising and you have not exercised in 12 years, then starting off by trying to exercise three hours a day for five days a week is not a good idea.  This will only dicourage you from ever wanting to exercise again.  It is important to start out with small goals that can be realistically achieved in the time span that was set.  Achieving one small goal will only encourage you to want to work toward achieving another.  
4)  Reward yourself.
     Use positive reinforcement by rewarding yourself when you accomplish a goal or objective.  It is important that the reward does not contradict your resolution.  For instance, it will not be helpful to reward yourself with doughnuts and sweets after you have lost your initial five pounds.  Instead, set aside some money for an article of clothing that you want to purchase when you reach your intended weight.  That reward is congruent to the goal which will only provide more motivation to accomplish it rather than to sabotage it.
       
Sincerely,

Nathan M. Comerford, MA, LLPC, NCC

Nathan M. Comerford is a psychotherapist in Farmington Hills, MI who has been helping people with their relationship issues, emotional difficulties and mental health problems for the past 9 years. 

Thought Perspectives Counseling, PLLC
31275 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 120
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Phone: (248) 225-5259
www.thoughtperspectives.com

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