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Do any of you lot make New Year Resolutions?

ToshTosh Veteran
edited December 2011 in General Banter
Right, the New Year is almost upon us; do any of you lot make New Years Resolutions?

Next year mine are:

1. To improve my Buddhist practise - my mindfulness is often abysmal.
2. To improve my Buddhist study - my discipline is often abysmal (hopefully No 1 will sort this out).
3. To focus on my business, to get out of the financial hole I'm in.

What's yours, or if you don't make resolutions, why don't you?

:D

Comments

  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Don't make 'em, don't break 'em. :)
  • RavenRaven
    1. Improve my practice (especially meditation and eating mindfully).

    2. Establish a (more) regular sleep schedule.

    3. Say NO to other people's drama more consistently.

    4. Exercise regularly.

    Whew! Do-able, I hope.
  • BonsaiDougBonsaiDoug Simply, on the path. Veteran
    I only make one. The same one every year. And so far I've yet to get it done... learn to read/speak Spanish.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Just sit without any pressure to accomplish anything.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Nope, I try each day to be a better person. Some days are more successful than others. But if I fail one day I can always try again the next. So I guess you could call it a new day's resolution.
  • LittleMightyLittleMighty
    I do a great job of making them. Not such a great job of keeping them.
  • dorjedorje
    I resolve not to make any resolutions.
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    To be sober and off of disability (well)
  • ToshTosh Veteran
    To be sober and off of disability (well)
    Do you have problems being sober? I'm an alcoholic (recovered), and this is my area of interest!

    Can I ask what method, if any, you're going to use to stay sober?

    :D
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited January 2012
    I don't get the concept of New Year's resolutions. Don't we make resolutions throughout the year, as we go along through life? What's so special about Jan. 1? Maybe if people didn't make a bunch all at once, and set up those high expectations, they'd be more likely to keep them.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    I'm on the make-em-as-you-go plan.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    1. Improve practice, Develop a functional and spontanious Bodhichitta.
    2. Get to gym.
    3. Get a new job.

    :)
  • AMHAMH
    I only make one. The same one every year. And so far I've yet to get it done... learn to read/speak Spanish.
    I am working on Spanish myself. I have thought about just going to the community college and getting a really focused class to improve, but I have one more semester of a free one night a week class. i work with lots of Spanish speakers but it is a leap to really use it.

  • AMHAMH
    I don't get the concept of New Year's resolutions. Don't we make resolutions throughout the year, as we go along through life? What's so special about Jan. 1? Maybe if people didn't make a bunch all at once, and set up those high expectations, they'd be more likely to keep them.
    I do better without a big goal list, but I do have some very big goals io started and want to continue this year. It was symbolic to clean out my house and paperwork and get it done by yesterday which seemed good. So I have a giant post it note, like you use in meetings, and a lot of colorful small post it notes. I write all sort of things on the small ones and as I do them I move them from to-do side over to the done side. I also have my deep thoughts poster and that is filled with less, the practical focus does not always lend itself to deep thoughts.

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    New Year's resolutions I haven't heard of in buddhism. But pranidhana's or wishing prayers are a part of buddhism. These are like clarifications of what one is doing. For example if I want to meditate more but I also want to sleep in late and drink alcohol at night I might think to myself hmmmm those things are not compatible. Another use is that you make a wish to do something you are unable to do right now in order to plant a seed such that in the future when conditions change you will have that seed flower. For example if your family is too many commitments to study you can make a pranidhana that when the conditions arise you will study more.

    So why not take New Year's to make a pranidhana?
  • AMHAMH
    very nice, I like the idea. I know I had a health food DR who told us we may want to change things and not be able to yet, however just deciding we wanted to change was a step in changing. This sounds like the same thing.

    Last year, year and a half, I did a lot of these when I did not know about the idea. I had things I wanted to do and I could not even get close to doing, so I set my ideas in looking for how each change in my life I would have a choice to make whether to get closer to working on my long term goals or away. So if my kids didnt need me as much I could either watch TV or attend a meditation, and one was part of long term goals and the other wasnt.

    So in a rather amazing way i was able to quit my 2nd job (I had that intention for 2-3 years) and somehow I am still paying bills, and I was able to spend the last 2 weeks cleaning out paperwork and storage and all. My pranidhana now is to be ready to move wherever a wonderful job takes me as soon as my son is graduated. That is 3 1/2 years away, but if I have storage units filled and backed up paperwork at that time I may lose the chance in front of me.
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