Are Your New Year's Resolutions Really New?

Are Your New Year’s Resolutions New?

Well, how was your Christmas? I know that I had the absolute best Christmas ever! Not only did I get to spend Christmas day with my wife, daughter and parents but Taylor, the greatest wife a man could ever have pulled the biggest surprise for me.

Of course you know I have kind of been moping around the last couple of weeks because I had no presents under the tree. There was one gift that I really wanted. You can make fun of me all you want and I know that this gift shows my age but even at 26 I love to play video games. Many of you like to hunt and spend money on that stuff I love to play video games.

And Nintendo had just come out with the coolest new video game system in November. I really wanted it. But Taylor kept saying we can’t afford it, wait till your birthday which bummed me more because its still 4 months away. But Christmas day came and I got my stocking out and what did I find a Nintendo. No. I got a nose and ear hair trimmer. I’m thinking alright. I guess that’s it. Then we started to let Paige open presents and about 10 minutes in I set one of Paige’s gifts down in front of her to open. And well, how about instead of telling you, I show you. Do you want to see the video? Alright.

(VIDEO- RYAN’S REACTION)

It was the best surprise ever. Taylor of course started crying she was so nervous and excited for me to open it. She went to 3 different stores and stood in line for over 2 hours with Paige just to buy me one. And we both have been having a lot of fun with it.

I hope your Christmas was full of surprises like mine. And now Christmas is over and tonight at midnight we are celebrating the birth of a new year. A new year to me has always felt like a new beginning, a fresh start on life. The old year is gone. All the good and bad, the mistakes, the embarrassing moments, the arguments, the historical events. Elections, the world series. They are over and its time to begin again.

And of course there is always something about a new beginning that causes us to reevaluate who we are and what we did over the course of the previous year. And for most people we almost always desire for the next year to be better than the last. And to make sure that the next year is better than the last we make promises/resolutions for ourselves in specific areas where we will change.

And of course by the end of 2007 you will realize that the resolutions you made on December 31, 2006 never happened for whatever reason, too busy, not enough time whatever so you vow on December 31, 2007 to make 2008 the year of change in your life. I am pretty cynical when it comes to resolution making because I see them simply as an endless cycle of empty promises that one will be to busy to ever see through to the end. You may start the year out strong but in the end most people quit. They won’t make it.

It seems like most resolutions are all the same anyways. Eat better, lose weight, spend more time with family, work less, quit smoking, quit drinking etc… I ran across a list of resolutions this week that I think are more realistic for people to make. These resolutions are not necessarily endorsed by Pastor Ryan, WWC staff or any elected leadership but maybe one of these will be a more realistic goal for you in 2007.

A CYNICS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

Gain weight. At least 30 pounds. Stop exercising. Waste of time. Read less. Makes you think. Watch more TV. You’ve been missing some good stuff. Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow. Stop bringing lunch from home: Eat out more. Get in a whole NEW rut! Create loose ends. Get more toys. Get further in debt. Don’t believe politicians. Avoid airplanes that spontaneously drop 1000 feet. Associate with even worse business clients. Spread out priorities beyond ability to keep track of them. Wait around for opportunity. Focus on the faults of others. Mope about faults. Never make New Year’s resolutions again.

Those are funny because many times those are true. Our tendancy as people is to do the opposite of what we promise ourselves we will do. We always start with good intentions, but usually we end up short. The reason we end up short is because we are making resolutions that have no substance. They have no lasting effect. They have no eternal reward or benefit.