On New Year’s Eve, my son boldly stated that New Year’s resolutions are meaningless, as we should be good people who lead productive, healthy, dignified lives every day throughout the year.

Reflecting upon my 19-year-old’s wisdom, I realized the truth in this concept. There’s a reason that gym memberships skyrocket annually in early January (fitness/exercise is the predominant new year’s resolution,) only to be followed by a precipitous drop-off in gym usage by early spring. There’s a reason that 33% of resolvers ditch their goals by the end of January. And, there’s a reason that a mere 8% of people achieve their new year’s resolutions. What’s missing is a deep-seeded, ongoing commitment and intention to conduct oneself a certain way, every single day. There are no shortcuts or “quick fixes” in life. Only through hard work, dedication and a steady resolve are we able to make the dynamic shifts necessary to change our lives.

In this spirit, I have decided to forego new year’s “resolutions” this year. Instead, I will continually work to determine what it means for me to be a happier, healthier and better person and to pursue that path each and every day.  I recognize that my journey towards self-improvement is an ongoing process that will require daily renewal and reassessment.

Starting immediately, I intend to hit the reset button and refocus on several priorities, beginning with these:

• Seeking the good in others. I believe that, at their core, each person has some good inside. It isn’t always readily visible, but this inner good exists in everyone, and I will do my best to bring it out. In this same vein, I will not speak negatively or judgmentally about other people.
• Discovering new adventures, taking more risks and exploring new ways to challenge myself intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
• Being more patient, listening more deeply, and staying more open-minded to others’ ideas and points of view.
• Worrying less and replacing my anxiety with trust, faith, harmony and gratitude.

A final note… it is well documented that an important element in achieving goals and keeping commitments is to publicly state or declare your intentions. This forces one to own his/her commitment and be held accountable, while also garnering support from others.  With this blog post, I have officially gone public with my intentions for conducting my life.  This means there’s no backing out now…

Video message in my Spin Class on New Year’s Day 1/1/16