I have always made surprisingly common new year resolutions. A lot of my friends try to be pretty creative when they make up theirs. They resolve to, for example, consolidate all of their photos into a scrapbook or visit a place they had never heard of before within the next 12 months. For me, however, whimsy is pointless. There are enough important things in my life that I really don't have together That I can't afford to mess around. I have tried all the common new years resolutions. I have tried to lose a lot of weight within the next 12 months, go back to school, find love – you get the idea. I come up with very important projects , but for the most part I haven't been very together in following my plans.

You see, the common new year resolutions are common because they're things that everyone worries about and everyone needs to do. The reason people don't get these things done is that they are difficult goals. Losing weight involves completely changing your habits. Going back to school is an even more major undertaking. And forget finding love – that can be a lifelong goal. It can be very difficult to stick to these sorts of projects.

Nonetheless, I have found that the more firmly I stick to common new year resolutions, the happier I am. When I did lose 30 pounds in one year – No mean goal – I ended that year in a state of pure bliss. I was so absolutely overjoyed with the progress that I made the nothing else seemed to matter. Of course it didn't change every aspect of my life, but it did make me feel good about myself. And that is, ultimately, what following your new year common resolutions is about.

If you have trouble with your common new year resolutions, don't kick yourself about it. Instead, simply redouble your efforts. Tell yourself that your resolution To get thin is more important than any snack you might want. Your resolution to get a better job is more important than your desire to rest in front of the TV instead of looking for job posts after work. Life is short, and sometimes there isn't a lot of time to relax. At other times there is, but you will enjoy your relaxation a lot more If you get your work done first. You will feel you have earned it because of the progress you have made in hitting your goals.