It is week six, and most of us have given up on our impossible New Year New Me idea. Who knew diets, yoga, or even paying off debt came with complications? So where do we go from here?

Let’s ask ourselves “Why did we make those resolutions?'” The most common answer to this question is, “We want a change.” We need to break the monotony of life. That doesn’t mean we need to move across the country or burn all of our old clothes. Instead, the changes we need should come ever so slightly. Change requires maintenance, and the more significant the change, the bigger the maintenance. With this in mind, let’s look towards our wants.

Note: It goes without mention that there is a difference between “wants” and “needs. But, in reality, we confuse these ideas everyday. We need to eat; we do not need a second helping. We need to relax; we do not need to smoke. You get the picture. I must confess I do go for seconds, and yes, I love pipe tobacco. My hypocrisy only goes so far. This is covered in “Wanting Well”. But getting back to the point, “What do we want?”

The short answer is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We want fundamental human rights. Life: the ability to be productive and have self-worth. Liberty: time to enjoy the fruits of our labors. The pursuit of happiness: As we change, our happiness changes as well. It causes us to reevaluate what makes us happy at our current stage in life, thus the pursuit.

Who cares that we dropped our resolution? Now is the time to take a hard look and make that little change. Remember: little change = little maintenance = greater success rate. We can do this. Take the little steps towards a new life. It may take all year to get to that new life. That’s all right. Instant gratification is not for everything. Patience is a valuable virtue. We will find our happiness. It takes self-honesty and time. We can reach our goals one small step at a time. 🙂