by Klaus Rohrich
January 15, 2004
This is the time of year when many of us sit back and take stock with a view toward improving our lot and ourselves in the coming year. The most popular New Year’s resolutions have to do with health: "I’m going to quit smoking." "I’m going to lose weight." "I’m going to begin a vigorous exercise program so I can look like the guy doing the Bowflex commercials on television." "I’m going to live at a slower pace."
In the end most people don’t stick to their resolutions and within 10 days fall off whatever wagon they’ve chosen to be on. I know this to be the case because I speak with the voice of experience--mine as well as others’. Having made some really wild and staunch New Year’s resolutions in my day, I know the best thing to do one New Year’s Eve is to enjoy the company of the people you’re with and forget making resolutions. You will only open yourself up for disappointment and the reinforcement of negative self speak.
The best time to make resolutions about lifestyle changes and improved health is when the spirit moves you and you feel a visceral epiphany. I was a heavy smoker for over 20 years and disappointed myself with at least 10 unkept New Year’s resolutions. But then one day on a strenuous hike through the woods of Northern Ontario I found myself totally spent and began coughing uncontrollably. You can imagine the incentive to give up smoking I felt as I expectorated gobs of bright red blood into the pristine snow. That day I threw away my cigarettes and never looked back. To tell the truth under those circumstances it was really easy. I never had another craving for a smoke and I don’t believe I will ever smoke cigarettes again. Besides, you’d have to live in the third world to be able to afford smoking.
I have always been svelte and have managed to look trim until about the time I was in my mid-30s. all of a sudden the weight began to adhere to me like glue. Unbelievably, I was pleased at first when I had to buy size 32 pants, up from my usual size 30. But then it went up to 34, 36, and even 38; at which time I also started to feel rather unenergetic. I made numerous New Year’s resolutions to eat better and lose weight, start jogging and working out. In those days I always acted immediately on my resolutions. I remember going for a run one cold, blustery January 1st with the mother of all hangovers. I ran two miles and I am seriously surprised that it didn’t kill me. again, this was a resolution that I should never have made, as I did not have the wherewithal to keep it.
as I approached my 40th birthday, I looked in the mirror one day and realized that I had become one of those fat middle-aged guys I was always so contemptuous of. This put the fear of God in me and I made the decision then and there that I wasn’t going to get bigger as I got older. The logical conclusion to this would have been the need for additional pallbearers at my funeral and something in me just wasn’t ready for that humiliation. So I started eating sensibly (reduced carbs), I curtailed my alcohol intake, drank lots of water and went to the ‘Y’ five days a week where I swam, lifted weights and started running. Eventually I worked my way up to five miles a day and managed to lose some 50 lbs.
Imagine my joy as I went to my tailor to order a whole new wardrobe because the spinnaker-sized shirts and the bunched- up-at-the- waist pants looked ridiculous. I ordered new suits, pants, jackets and shirts. I even had to buy new shoes, as the old ones actually became too big. all this because of a visceral revelation that I was headed for fat old manhood.
as most resolutions are about the physical self, I can see how one would quickly get discouraged looking in the mirror day after day and noticing not one iota of change. after all, it took years to put on all that weight, or to get so out of shape, fixing it is probably going to take just as long. If you must make a New Year’s resolution, because that’s what one does on New Year’s Eve or Day, why not make a resolution to improve your mind and/or soul? Make a resolution to be nicer to people because the results of that resolution are immediately apparent in the faces of the people to whom you are being nice.
Resolve that rather than watching yet another reality show on television, to read a book instead. There are some really good books out there that are interesting reading as well as stimulating to the mind. Read John Grisham or Michael Chrichton or Margaret atwood, who I believe to be one of the finest writers of the last two centuries. Sure, go ahead and eat less, drink less and work out, as well. It can’t hurt. But for real staying power no New Year’s resolve beats that which improves the inner self.