New Year's Resolutions

I must confess that I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions. Perhaps it is the result of not following through on many (or any) when I was young. Perhaps it has to do with my observation that in January the gyms seem to fill up with people for a month or two who are determined to start working out, getting in shape, and losing weight, but who are no where to be seen by the beginning of March. I don't say this as a way to berate those who try but can't seem to follow through; I say it as support for my thesis that most of them don't (or can't) keep them.

I do, however, try to spend some time assessing the past year and thinking about goals and possibilities for the coming year in a prayerful manner. I like to look back and thank God for the things that He has done over the previous year, and then consider what changes I might need to make, as well as what goals I might set.

You may wonder what difference there is between this and making New Year's resolutions. It is a big difference. New Year's resolutions feel like a straight jacket to me, and I don't do well in a straight jacket (metaphorically speaking). I try to create a way of looking at the New Year that invites evaluation, change, and creativity, and that has plenty of room for flexibility.

I'm wondering what you do when the New Year arrives. Are any of you able to make resolutions that you are actually able to keep?