New Year's Resolution's Are Worthless....Or Are They?

First Episode of Season 2 and we come out swinging with a really heavy, tough topic.....NOT.  New Year's Resolution's.  Not very original I know but something worth talking about I think.  Hope you enjoy learning more about them and how they shape our culture each year.  Do you need them?  Well, listen and find out.  God Bless.

Eric

Transcript

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Welcome back to nobody's fault, but mine. And I'm Eric Lindsey. And this is episode one of our second season with this podcast, the first season flew by, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Hopefully the second season brings more joy to your world. And thank you for listening. So what are we going to talk about today? It's beginning of second season or end of the new year, it's 2023. What do you think we're going to talk about New Year's resolutions, everybody's kind of going through it right now. And even even I'm going through the although I place new year's resolutions pretty far down on my list of priorities, it is something that, you know, I think, is human nature to look at a new year and kind of fall into line and understand that, okay, maybe there's some things I need to do better, maybe 2022 was not the greatest year for certain reasons. And I need to change some things. So why don't I put a little bit of a priority on something, and hey, why not make a list, you know, and kind of go through it and see if that's something that you should work on. I don't know how your year went, my year went, I don't know what's so good. I mean, it was really good. And some aspects, in some aspects, it wasn't good. I mean, I think that that's life, I think that there's good days, bad days, and a lot of days in between, obviously, kind of my year focused on losing my father and going through, you know, his struggles with health, and ultimately passing away, you know, going through the funeral, several close family members also passing away aunts and uncles, just going through loss in general was something that, you know, kind of dominated this last year. And the fact that it hadn't ever dominated really my year. Before that, you know, yes, I've lost people close to me, and I've lost grandparents and so forth. But, but losing my father was obviously something that was, you know, closer to home, a lot deeper, a lot more emotional, a lot more hurt, a lot more pain, just a lot more. I don't know, it was just, it was just raw, it was just a raw, gritty year. And, you know, tough to get through, especially for my mom, for my siblings, for people that loved my father. It was just tough to get through. But, but you know, I'm no different than anybody else. Everybody had years like this, and everybody lost somebody. Especially, you know, this last year and with COVID, and all the things that kind of surrounding the health of our world. But also there were there were, there were gains. I mean, people had kids, we, we had weddings, we had birthdays, we had celebrations, we had all these things. So you know, yes, pain, suffering, loss, always is there, but also joy, life, creation, newness, you know, those are always there too. And so I think a quote unquote, healthy individual just does their best to balance that out. There are days I wake up. And, guys, I hope you've kind of found out throughout listening to these podcasts. And if you don't know me yet, go back and listen to you know, episode one through I think 10 or 15, I'm not sure in season one. And you can kind of get the gist of how I operate. I'm a very optimistic person. I'm a very glass half full kind of guy. I'm a very I don't know how we're gonna get through this, we're just gonna get through it. You know, I just kind of have that mentality and that attitude. But there are days I definitely wake up and I'm just like, this kind of socks you know, what's going on what you're dealing with that day, what you're going through what you have to go through there's certainly days you know, I'm not just bouncing out a bed hole let's go let's go have fun and happy day happy day. You know, that's not that's not real. And that's not realistic for you to believe that you should have a life like that. When you look at people on TV and you know, famous people and things like that, you know, the the people that are quote unquote, influencers out there in the world. You know, all you really see is the good side of things a lot and so you feel a little bit. I don't know, like, well, what's wrong with me? You know, why am I not like that? Why am I not more successful? Why am I not more happy? Why am I not more rich? All those things can really just kind of weigh you down. And I don't think I'm affected by that as As much as I'm just affected by normal life, there's just things I don't want to do. There's, you know, I don't want to get up and go to the gym. I just don't. I'm sorry, I'm gonna admit it, I don't want to do it. It's not something I look forward to. Do I need to do it? Yeah, I do. And there's days I that are a little easier than others to get up and do that. And then there's days that I'm just like, Nah, I think I'll hit the snooze button a little bit more, or I kind of create things throughout the day to make myself busy or too busy to go. I mean, I've kind of noticed I've been doing that lately. And, and that happens and everything, whether it's working out or just a job that you got to do, or maybe it's a tough conversation, you have to have that day, whatever. I mean, we were really good at adapting our day to not handling that situation. And, you know, some of the self help gurus out there, always say, you know, start with your hardest thing first, you know, get it out of the way, just get it out of the way. And then at least the rest of your day is easier, can it's all downhill from there, I'm just, I don't know, I've just never been geared that way, I just start, and I procrastinate. And eventually I might get there, the likelihood of me getting there is pretty low. But again, depending on what it is, I mean, if it's something of consequence, I know that I've got to do it, but working out or you know, trying to eat better, or I don't know, you know, going outside and doing some sort of chore around the house that I don't really want to do, it conveniently gets left off. And though there's just not enough time in the day, honey, I just couldn't get to it, you know, type thing. So we're going to talk about New Year's resolutions, today's episode, a new year, a new you New Year's resolutions and how they affect your productivity. Well, of course, we just kind of went through all that. But a summary of key findings from a 2002 study about resolutions, here we go. 38.5% of US adults set new year's resolutions every year. So a little over a third of us, 40% of us almost set new year's resolutions every year. And I think probably that's a much higher numbers, just people don't want to admit it. Or you do it in a in a kind of a standpoint that well, it wasn't something I said on January 1 and said I want to do this, it's just something that you've continuously kind of said I need to be better at this. So I think that number would be much, much higher 59% of young adults, and those are the age groups of 18 through 34 have New Year's resolutions, which makes it one of the largest demographic sets in our nation or in the world. So 59% of 18 to 34 years of age set true New Year's resolutions 48% of us want to exercise more, making it the most popular of course. And in fact, the top three are all health related 23% of the individuals that participated in this study that I'm reading from quit in the first week, so they didn't even make it seven days. So 23% of the quote unquote 38 and a half percent or 59% or 48% I don't exactly know which one they're talking about here. But 23% Quit in the first week didn't even make it past the first seven days. And only 36% make it past the first month. over the entire year 9% successfully keep their New Year's resolutions. So you know if you're feeling optimistic right now, great. Keep it up, man. I mean, talk to talk to whoever you need to quote any sayings you got to say to yourself each day, get a little tribe around you that's just going to help you continue those things that you're wanting to do and kind of be your support group. But just always know the likelihood of succeeding is less well 9% for the entire year. So you're going to fail you're gonna fall you're going to not succeed and that's okay, don't beat beat yourself up too much about this. Everybody else around you is doing the exact same thing. Just I guess, maybe try to do a little bit better. Now according to Country Living Magazine, the top five resolutions, we're gonna start at five and work our way down. Five, keep your car clean. That's pretty, pretty simple. One, four, make your bed each day. That'd be a tough one. Three, compliment someone and truly mean it you know, try to do it on a day to day basis week to week basis, whatever to get outside. Okay, that's pretty simple. And the number one New Year's resolution schedule more time with friends and I would say with family also kind of joined into that. Australia's reach out magazine, kind of the same thing. I've always kind of looked at Australians as they seem like pretty happy people. I mean, you you look at the continent and they've got Like the deadliest snakes, the deadliest spiders, they've got sharks, they've got all this stuff that literally want to kill them on a day to day basis, but they're pretty happy people, you know, Good day mate. They're just always seem to be happier is that's just kind of the thing, the thought that's out there. So I kind of wanted to see what Australians thought about New Year's resolutions. Well, here's the top five from Australia's reach out magazine. Number five to manage money better, I kind of figured money was going to come in here at some point. So that makes sense. For to quit smoking. I don't know if smoking is a big deal in Australia, I don't know. But maybe it is. So number four is quit smoking. Number three, to learn something new. I love that. I love that one, too, to eat better, and exercise more. And the number one New Year's resolution for Australia's reach out magazine is one to enjoy life more. So again, I think that that's pretty online, with a lot of people's overall New Year's resolutions. I mean, I would say most of the time, it has to do with something with health, or money or just being happier in general. I mean, those are kind of the three categories that kind of fall into, I would say a majority of people's New Year's resolutions and kind of looks like it. I'm running along with that. Australia and the Country Living Magazine, although the keep your car clean and make your bed thing. I mean, hey, take the small wins when you can, maybe you need those. So now, when I was talking about kind of happy people and Australians and New Year's resolutions, it just got me thinking, who are the like the states and America that are the most depressed? I mean, the people that are just down and according to the CDC, the depression rates, which is nothing to laugh about, by the way, I mean, this is serious business, but it just got me kind of thinking, what states out there, you know, that are kind of the most, I don't know, sad or depressed or just down. And this really surprised me. Number one was Oregon, which I've never been to Oregon, I don't know much about Oregon. But every time I hear about Oregon, it seems like people are pretty happy in Oregon. I mean, it's beautiful. And you got all this nature and all this stuff going on. And the depression rate in Oregon is 25.2% of the population is what a quote unquote, according to the CDC, clinically depressed now that changed from the previous year, we actually went up 9.17%. So I don't know what's going on in Oregon. I don't know if it's just maybe it rains there a lot or something I don't know. But that just really surprised me. I just wouldn't have thought that Oregon, of all the states in America would have been the most depressed. And I was just kind of curious where Oklahoma ranks in that I'm in Oklahoma right now, this is my home state. And we are number six. So the depression rate in Oregon is 25.2%. The Depression rate in Oklahoma is 22.7%. So we're not that far behind. And again, I don't know that kind of shocked me because I always feel like Oklahomans are pretty happy people. I mean, I don't know you just don't go around seeing a lot of disgruntled people and just mad and upset people all the time. So I don't know kind of kind of surprised me. So curious information. I know seven tips to increase your energy and live a happier, healthier, more productive life, according to the Mayo Clinic. So here's seven tips that if you live in Oklahoma or Oregon, and you're really depressed, that kind of helps you to live a happier, healthier, more productive life. And this is according to the Mayo Clinic. Eat nourishing foods. Okay, make sense? Sleep seven to eight hours per night. Okay, love that one. I love to sleep. keep company with good people. Okay? Avoid news overdose, that makes sense. Get regular exercise, okay, and do something meaningful every day. And so again, that kind of fits in this whole genre that we're talking about New Year's resolutions? Well, it all kind of fits into that, you know, you want to eat better, you want to exercise more, you want to get good rest. You want to avoid kind of toxic situations. And you want to do something meaningful each day and keep company with good people, you know, keep good company with friends and family and just spend more time with them. So it all kind of lines up. Do you know that on average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes to form a new habit can wildly depend on behavior, the person and the circumstances. In one study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. So 66 days is kind of the I don't know the number that this study that I'm reading fun folk focused on and said takes 66 days or a little over two months to actually have a habit to become automatic or a behavior to become automatic or behavior to become a habit, I should say. And, you know, that falls right in line with new year's resolution. So if you want to exercise better, and you want that to be a daily habit or a weekly habit or whatever, then you've got to do it for at least two months or more for it to actually sink in. And kind of feel like that is something that your body needs on a day to day basis to function. And guys, I've seen this happen. My wife is one of those workout people. She's kind of annoying, because she works out all the time. You know, she's annoying to people like me, because I don't work out all the time. And I say that love I love you, honey, I know you're not annoying. I'm just being funny. But she's one of those people that she works out, like on vacations and stuff. And I'm like, what this is vacation? What are you talking about? But she talks about it that if she doesn't work out, she just doesn't feel good. And so, you know, obviously, she's been doing this for years. And so obviously, it's kind of ingrained into her DNA now that she needs to work out on a daily basis, whether that be aerobic or lifting weights, or just taking a walk or doing something and she just feels better now, you know, is it is it kind of a cellular level thing that your your body just feels better? Or is it a mental thing I don't know, it's probably a combination of those two, but but it works. And it works for her. And I've seen it in play. So I believe this. Another common belief about habits is the 2190 rule. One popular method is to build habits, and it's called the 2190 rule, the rule is simple enough commit to a personal or professional goal for 21 straight days, after three weeks, the pursuit of that goal should be have become a habit by then, once you've established that habit, you have to continue it for another 90 days. So the 2190 rule duels do something for 21 days, and that should become a habit. And then to really just get it established, you got to do it for at least three months. Okay, now, where are we at guys? Well, we're down to my resolutions, my resolutions are simple. Number five, dive deeper into God's word. I mean, I think everybody that is a Christian or that has, you know, believes in God, that's something that we always got to do better at. And that's, of course, where I'm at, for make sure my friends and family know how important they are in my life. I mean, that's something that I've been trying to do better on this past few years, especially with my father passing away. But I'm going to continue to try to get even better and better at that. Number three, be less frustrated with people let things roll off my back easier. Not that I'm just a frustrated, angry person. But people in general, just kind of I don't know, I just frustrate me. And I just don't want to get on my nerves or something. So I've just got to kind of back off and just let it roll off my back a little easier, or just be around happier people, I guess, number to be the husband and father, I know I need to be again, stuff I've been doing for several years now, ever since I got married. And ever since I've been a father, I've been trying to get better at this. And I'm going to continue to do that. And which leads me to number one, continue gaining experience and doing what I've been doing and get better at it. So I think a really good New Year's resolutions is just to acknowledge that, hey, all these things are things we need to be better at, we've probably been trying to do better at that. So just acknowledge that I'm going to use this year to even just be a little bit better just get a little bit further down that road and gain experience and how how can I do these things, maybe make it a habit versus something that's just kind of a hobby that I just maybe do every once in a while. Just truly get it into a system and organize yourself to do that. So I'm just going to continue to do that and get better at it. So I don't know, guys, if that helps you great if it didn't help you. I don't know what to tell you. Sorry, I didn't give you more information. And I just want to thank you and I hope that this helps your new year resolution path. But always remember, God loves you just the way you are today. Sure you need to stop doing things that take you farther away from him buddy loves you right this second. All you have to do is stop. Ask him to forgive you acknowledge him and Jesus Christ, his son who sacrificed himself for you and start living with him at your side in your heart. resolutions or not. He loves you. God bless you guys. We will see in the next episode. Thank you for hanging with me till season two and take care until then for nobody's fault line. This is Eric Lindsey signing off. We'll see you next time.