Resolve to do what you want, not what you think you should

Happy New Year! I usually write my New Year's Resolutions around my birthday, but with everyone talking about losing weight and getting in shape and being more productive, I couldn't help but think about them now. Specifically, about how I still haven't done the ones I set for myself 6 months ago. And I realised that, instead of setting new goals to meet, I had just written out a to-do list of things I thought I ought to get done.

There was this commercial or catch phrase I remember from the ’80s, when I was in high school and alternately inspired or bewildered by everything I was learning about life. It was something like this: You always have boundaries. Set them yourself, and they’re principles. Allow others to set them, and they’re restrictions.

The same idea, I think, can be applied to our to-do lists or, given the date, our New Year Resolutions. If we’re setting our goals, then they’re things we want to do. If we’re listing our obligations, then they’re things we have to do.

Guess which is more likely to get done? ... [More]

Are your resolutions goals or just more items for your never-ending to-do list?