Clarissa's Blog

The reason why most people never complete anything on their list of New Year’s resolutions is that they go about creating it in the wrong way.

Please look at your own list of resolutions and underline with a red-ink pen every resolution that will involve forcing yourself to do something unpleasant. Now use a blue-ink pen to underline every resolution that will involve doing something highly enjoyable. If most of the items on your list are underlined with red ink, your list is crap and you are wasting your time creating it.

People mistakenly believe that a good life is the kind of life where you cause pain and suffering to yourself. Every January 1 they plan to start leading a much better, worthier existence. For them, that invariably entails doing even more things that they dislike doing and removing the last few enjoyments from their lives. This is patently ridiculous. Life is supposed to be happy, joyous, blissful and full of profound pleasure.

Ask yourself how many times a day you have experienced an acute feeling of happiness in the past year. If your answer is, “How many times a day? You, silly Clarissa. I maybe experienced it once a month, if that”, then you need to start changing this sorry state of affairs right now. Let your list of New Year’s resolutions be about making your life happier instead of forcing yourself to do even more stuff that you detest. Just think about it. Wouldn’t it be a really enormous achievement if you manage to make yourself significantly happier next year?

[To be continued. . .]