Many people make “New Year’s Resolutions” that are more like vague wishes but they don’t call them that. I’m going to lose 10 lbs, I’m going to drink less/exercise more/be more positive etc
Nothing wrong with a wish, but just saying you’re going to do something in the new year with out a strategy or plan to do it will usually lead to nothing other than disappointment.
People forget that a wish or an idea is the first important step, but it’s a beginning, not a complete solution. Not much power behind a resolution if you have no strategy or plan. Putting that strategy or plan to paper or computer makes it more real, especially if you schedule follow up to go along with it.
For those of you who have trouble with New Year’s resolutions, you might check out this post I did in 2006 called A New Year’s Theme. An Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions
Here’s just one part of it
1. You cannot officially commit to the theme until after January 1st or it doesn’t count. This is a way of removing the guilt and built up negative emotional and psychological baggage of previously unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions, allowing you to make a decision from a clearer, more realistic position.
I did well on my previous New Year’s Theme initially but then tapered off. To help reduce that this year, I’ve already programmed a New Year’s Theme Mid month evaluation reminder and and end of month reminder in ical to help keep me on track. Scheduling follow up is something adults with ADHD often forget to do.
My theme this year is getting stronger which can be interpreted in many ways, not just physical.
So did you make a New Year’s wish or a New Year’s Resolution?
So you’re saying that just
prayingwishing for stuff doesn’t work? I’m shocked, shocked!Praying is different than wishing Jan. Though I know for those who believe in atheism, I realize they see no difference.
However, there’s a saying, God helps those that help themselves. So if someone prays and just sits on the couch, the probably won’t get that far.
Hey, five points to you for calling it a “saying” and not thinking that it is part of Ye Olde Book itself. That quote is by Benjamin Franklin. [See e.g. The Christian paradox].
Praying is nothing by “directed hoping”.
And by the way, I do not “believe in atheism”.
Argh, meant to say:
Praying is nothing but “directed hoping”.
sorry, thought I heard you say you were an atheist before, guess I heard wrong.
I disagree on the prayer being nothing more than directed hoping. But I know I won’t change your mind on this particular point any more then you could change mine.
No, I’m sorry Pete, I didn’t mean to confuse things. I just meant that atheism isn’t a “belief” that one can have.
Most religions have belief systems. If you are a, say, Jew, you believe in X, and if you’re a Muslim, then you believe in Y (allow for a lot of overlap between X and Y obviously). Atheists don’t “believe in Z”.
Throughout history people have believed in thousands of different gods and belief systems. Ask any religious person today, and they’ll tell you that they don’t believe in any of those gods and any of those belief systems from history except for 1. I’m just like them, except that there’s 1 more god from history that I don’t believe in.
Put another way: Take a bunch of people and splash them randomly with paint of different colors. After the splashing is done, some will be covered in red, some will be covered in blue, some will have multiple colors of paint on them. Some lucky individuals may have escaped the paint. These individuals are simply “clean”… they are not “covered in clean”, they don’t have “clean on their clothes”.