Every year for as long as I can remember, I have never understood the need for New Year’s resolutions. It’s absolutely the worst time of year, at least for me, to start trying to change habits, particularly since I’ve moved to the land of no sun from November to at least April. Personally, the summer is more likely to get me moving on stagnant goals.
This year, I think I have finally understood why this custom, desperately in need of a change of scheduling, happens at the New Year. Apart from the general idea that humans like “round” dates and numbers, the simple truth is, that at least in recent history, we don’t have the time to think the rest of the year. But, during a break from work at a point in the year where other distractions are harder to come by, it makes sense that you would have some time to look at yourself and having so neglected yourself for most of the year it also makes sense that you might find a few things you want to work on.
I still resist the idea of formalizing my personal improvement list for an arbitrary time construct, but I do enjoy reading other peoples and incorporating the best ones into my own lifelong personal growth goals. After all, you never know from where the inspiration for your next personal improvement strategy will come.
So instead of offering up something I don’t truthfully use, here is a list of Woody Guthrie’s 1942 “Rulins” (AKA New Year’s Resolutions):
- Work more and better
- Work by a schedule
- Wash teeth if any
- Shave
- Take bath
- Eat good – fruit – vegetables – milk
- Drink very scant if any
- Write a song a day
- Wear clean clothes – look good
- Shine shoes
- Change socks
- Change bed clothes often
- Read lots of good books
- Listen to radio a lot
- Learn people better
- Keep rancho clean
- Don’t get lonesome
- Stay glad
- Keep hoping machine running
- Dream good
- Bank all extra money
- Save dough
- Have company but don’t waste time
- Send Mary and kids money
- Play and sing good
- Dance better
- Help win war – beat fascism
- Love mama
- Love papa
- Love pete
- Love everybody
- Make up your mind
- Wake up and fight
As I type these out I realize how little we, as a species, really change through the years. So many of these are going on list of things on which I hope to find time to think.
If you didn’t notice on your way in, the image above is his actual journal entry complete with accompanying illustrations.