Before I dive into my first "official" thoughts for 2010, let me preface everything with this - I generally don't believe in New Year's resolutions.  If you don't know much about my background, I have a Clinical Psychology degree so a lot of my thoughts/philosophies are built around that foundation.  In fact, I was a part-time "Behavior Specialist" at Stillwater Medical Center for over 5 years, primarily working with people that wanted and/or needed to lose weight, change their lifestyle patterns, and so on.  I learned a lot about behaviors, people, and myself during that tenure, some of which I will share below. 

Not surprising, gym memberships, weight loss systems (Nutri-System, Weight Watchers, etc.), DVD fitness programs, and athletic apparel all reach a peak in the month of December.  You got it - many of these people are setting New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, work-out more, and to eat a more balanced diet in the new year.  None of those are bad things... the reality, however, is that the vast majority of people will not successfully change their lifestyles, eating habits, etc. throughout the entire new year.  In fact, work-out facilities will be full to capacity in early to mid-January.  In February, attendance will dramatically drop off, and will generally return to a more normal capacity in March.  Why I wondered...

Here's what I think - people don't spend enough time preparing, thinking, picturing, praying, and changing a few key intermediate behaviors that can vastly increase the probability for long-term behavior changes.  They just wake up January 1st and expect to change long-standing, well-established behaviors almost overnight.  Ok, ok, they might have given it a few days of thought, but generally there has been very little thought/preparation/prayer in the process.  So, I taught then and continue to believe now that people should spend the month of January preparing, praying, picturing, and making small behavior changes to prepare for the "real" start of the year - February 1st!  That's right - I believe in February 1st resolutions!

Let me walk you through a scenario for illustration purposes.  Let's say you want to start spending more time with God each day in 2010 by reading the Bible, praying, and immersing yourself in great spiritual books, podcasts, etc.  You might even want to follow a One-Year reading plan on www.youversion.com - great goal by the way!  You determine the best time to have quiet time with God is first thing in the morning before everyone is up and around.  So, you make your normal resolution by vowing to do these things by getting up at 5:30am each day - at least an hour earlier than usual.  The reality is that you haven't seen 5:30am for at least 5 years... or longer!  So, your chance for long-term success in getting up (and staying up) at 5:30am is probably slim if you vow to start on January 1st without little intermediate preparation.  But, you try, and it actually works for a few days.  But, then reality sets in and you start missing a few days... and then in a few weeks, the old habit is back in place and you are barely able to get up and make it to work/school on time each day.  Forget about 5:30am - you are hoping you can roll out of bed by 7am!

But, what if you spent the month of January making small changes, and asking God to intercede with helping you achieve the changes you desire long-term?  So, instead of shooting for immediate prayer time at 5:30am, how about just trying to get up by 5:30am?  You might even make your first goal 6am!  It's often best to implement in increments for some goals or resolutions.  This is what the month of January can be used for - praying, making small changes, and truly identifying those goals/resolutions that you want to make a priority in 2010. 

Now you might understand why I am not ready to divulge my 2010 goals or resolutions... try me on Feb. 1st!  Between now and then, I will be praying, making small changes, and sorting through those things that are truly important for 2010 and not just some random goal that I set on January 1st that lasts a few days or weeks, and then disappears.