I resolve to quit smoking, getting drunk, going to wild parties, etc. Oh wait, I already don’t do those things. Seriously, I will start with the obvious: I need to lose weight. It seems like every year I make another attempt at becoming more self-disciplined in several areas. The two most telling areas for me are physical and financial. I eat too much junk. I don’t exercise enough. I spend money on things I don’t really need. I waste money by making stupid decisions. Well here and now I say: this will continue!

What? Were you expecting me to say it would stop? Naaah. I am going to make a serious effort to wean myself off junk food, sloth, and financial stupidity, but I recognize that I am human, and humans do dumb things. I have quit bad habits in the past, and while they never really go away, I can say that after a long time their drawing power drastically diminishes. So I am resolved. But what does that mean? I looked “resolve” up in the Merriam Webster dictionary, and found that the word has eight different definitions. I think that when people refer to “new years resolutions” they are talking about definition #5 “to reach a firm decision about,” but it seems to me that #4a may be more appropriate. That one states, “to deal with successfully: clear up” (as in “resolve doubts” or “resolve a dispute.”). When we make a decision in regards to the New Year, usually it’s an effort to deal with something: our health, our wealth, our job, our relationships, etc.

Face it, we can make all the “firm decisions” we want, but if we don’t follow up by “dealing with” the problem, it will never go away.

This year, I am dealing with my weight and my finances. Hopefully I can reach my goals of dropping the pounds, becoming more fit, finally getting up to consistently running 3 miles a day, and needing to buy new clothes, because the old ones don’t fit anymore. Who’s with me?