Happy New Year! Let Your Past Go Up In Smoke

I've never been a big fan of the habit of making lots of New Year's resolutions. The list of resolutions most often published seems a little light weight to me and more often points to bigger underlying issues that need the real attention. Having said that I know many good people make them every year. Have you kept them all? The idea is good. Unfortunately, keeping them is much more difficult than making them. There have been a number of surveys indicating that most New Year's resolutions are short lived at best. Most folks just don't keep them. Although it is thought that purposely making a resolution does give you a higher chance of succeeding with your goal.

Here's a short list of the most common ones according to Psychology Today:

Losing Weight

Exercising More

Quitting Smoking

Managing Debt

Saving Money

Getting a Better Job

Reducing Stress

Volunteering

OK, so why can't we keep them? Here's what I think. We keep piling our new resolutions on top of the old ones we haven't kept. We want to change our habits but we want to put the new plan on top of an old uncompleted one without removing the old one. Try putting a fresh coat of paint on several old layers of loose flaking paint. The new coat may look good for a little while but it won't be long before it starts flaking off with the old. Scrape and remove the loose paint and clean the surface and the new paint application will last a long time.

Maybe the thing to do is focus first on really dealing with unhealthy habits that keep nagging us. You know what they are. We all have them . And they keep surfacing. If they weren't there this whole resolution thing wouldn't be so important to us. Specific things we do that we know we do and really don't like that we do. This is personal. What do you really sincerely want to put behind you? What is that thing or things you've let get hold of you? OK, you get the idea.

At about 11pm start really thinking about those things. Get a metal pot or pan ( a wok is perfect) and put it on a surface that's non-flammable. Put a candle next to it and light it. Around 11:30pm get a pen and small piece of paper and make a list of the things you've been thinking about and want to put behind you.

Just before the old year ends take your folded list over to the candle and light it with the candle's flame. As the old year is ending and the new is beginning drop your burning list into the pot and watch it as it is consumed in the fire.

Now that we've watched old lingering unhealthy habits be consumed we have a fresh surface to place the new better way of thinking and doing. Let your past go up in smoke. Happy New Year!