Making and Keeping New Year's Resolutions

With New Year's resolutions, goals, or in other areas of our lives when we're trying to learn or improve in something it all comes down to practice. We often think we should be able to easily master our goals and New Year's resolutions. We expect to be perfect and that we shouldn't make any mistakes so when we do (and it's almost always inevitable) we give up. I once read that, "Disappointment comes from unrealistic expectations." Expecting perfection from ourselves is unrealistic, that's what practice is for.

When someone is learning to play the piano they aren't able to pick up a piece of music and play it from beginning to end without making mistakes... and lots of them. It takes a lot of practice! So why do we expect such perfection from ourselves when we make New Year's resolutions and other goals? When you mess up just pick yourself up, brush away the need for perfection, and keep working at it. Mistakes are part of the process of perfection: practice, practice, practice! Keeping track of your goals can help you achieve your New Year's Resolutions.