WhaHappen?

I’m always surprised that so many people do not make New Year’s Resolutions. At the end of each year for at least the last decade, I’d ask my friends and co-workers if they’ve prepared a list of resolutions. I’ve yet to come across anyone else who actually writes their specific goals down for the new year. Some will say, “Yeah, I have a general idea,” or they’ll declare one thing like “I want to lose weight.”

I guess I thought a lot of folks pondered each new year with meaningful hopes and dreams. I don’t recall exactly when my own tradition of writing down resolutions started, but I do remember my mom each year asking me (in her thick Filipino accent) during my early adulthood, “Deed you wrrrite down yourrr New Yearrr’s Rrresolutions?”

Even when my kids were little, we’d formulate our goals on paper. My older daughters even proposed resolutions for their two younger siblings, then ages 3 and 4 months. The 3 year-old would presumably stop sucking her thumb and the 4 month-old must learn to hold his own bottle and learn to walk.

Writing down what you’re going to change or improve in 2009 determines whether it’s actually going to happen. I keep my list year-round on my desk at home. I remember one particular year, 2003, when my chaotic home life and grueling work schedule were just (to put it plainly) kickin’ my ass.

Despite the odds, I scribbled out my 2004 resolutions and insanely added such frivolous desires such as:

• indulge in frequent weekend getaways
• host parties at home
• build my backyard flower garden
• play and hang out with the kids more often

As stressed out as I was, while trying to manage both a new job that demanded a daily roundtrip 3-hour commute and maintain a functioning household that included helping with homework and attending baseball games, I had to make recreation a priority for the new year.

At the time, my surprised pen kept writing those improbable goals across the equally astonished paper; I had no idea how I was going to make it all happen. But the words were written deliberately, as if my Ouija pen just knew what had to be revealed.

I kept the entire list of 10 resolutions taped to my desk hutch. I hardly even glanced at it throughout 2004. But in November of that year, when the holidays started rolling around, I happened to look at the list more closely and was absolutely amazed that I had, in fact, accomplished all 10 goals – even the ones that I thought would be extremely difficult, time-wise.

When you write down your objectives, it’s like sticky notes for your subconscious. Just allow yourself to be guided by your New Year’s Resolutions. Make the action of writing it down actually mean something.

It’s a promise to yourself, which is more important than a promise to anyone else. You might let others down if you don’t keep a promise. But once they get over it, they get on with their busy lives. But when you neglect a promise to yourself, you’re aware of it all the time because it’ll continue to impede your progress, no matter how busy you get.

You still have a couple of days to think about how you want to improve yourself and your lifestyle in 2009. You can be as lofty or as practical as you want. You make the rules.

Oh and — my wish for you in the new year is to ALWAYS HAVE FUN. “Happy 2009!”