By Jim Tune
We”re not far into the new year, but our resolutions have already started to fade into the background.
“I”m opening a gym called Resolutions,” someone quipped. “It will have exercise equipment for the first two weeks and then it will turn into a bar for the rest of the year.”
We start out well, but our best intentions don”t survive the realities of life.
Resolutions aren”t bad; they”re just not enough. According to James Clear, a writer on behavioral change, we should forget goals and embrace systems.
“Goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress,” Clear writes. “Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win.”
Without systems, our goals will remain aspirations.
Christian thinkers agree with the importance of systems and habits.
David Mathis, author of Habits of Grace, says, “Your habits are, in fact, one of the most important things about you. Those repeated actions you take over and over, almost mindlessly, reveal your true self over time as much as anything else.”
James K. A. Smith, author of You Are What You Love, argues that habits teach us to love the right things. “They are rituals that form and direct our affections.” Our habits don”t just reflect our desires; they create them.
The big question for 2017 isn”t, “What are your resolutions?” It is, “What are your habits?”
As I think about who I”d like to become in the coming year, I”ve found it helpful to consider the following:
What”s really important to me?
Many of us wrestle with this question at the start of a year. It”s helpful not to think just about the things we want to accomplish, but the type of person we”d like to become. Character matters even more than accomplishments. According to James Clear, we”re more likely to keep habits related to our identity than our performance or appearance. An important note: don”t pick too many things that are important to you. If everything”s important, nothing is.
What small things, done daily, would lead me to live out what”s important to me?
Most of us fail because we try to focus on doing too many things at once, and we set goals that are too big. It”s better to set ridiculously small habits rather than big ones. If you want to grow in your relationship with God, praying for five minutes daily is better than praying for an hour occasionally.
How can I keep these small habits in front of me?
It”s helpful to find a way to track progress, celebrate wins, and recalibrate when necessary.
Resolutions are too important to think about only once a year. They must be converted into systems and habits. When we struggle, most times it”s not because we lack aspirations or knowledge. It”s because we lack habits that consistently move us toward our goals.
Your habits are among the most important things about you. Habits beat resolutions every time. So: what are your habits?
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