Resolutions

I made resolutions. On new year days, on my birthdays. Sometimes on my son’s birthdays, or on the first of some month, even on Bengali new year days.

Most of them did not work. 

Resolutions are the promises we make to ourselves. I made promises to myself that I would exercise everyday, won’t eat sweets, complete my todos methodically, won’t waste my time, blah blah … 

I did not keep most of them. 

I once read: if we break promises to others as many times as we do to ourselves, they’d never talk to us. 

I will always talk to myself. I could take myself for granted. 

But aren't promises meant to be broken anyway?

Promises are safeguards for things that someone may not do otherwise. In many cases, unlikely to do otherwise. Promises have “I may not” written all over them. If someone was going to do something anyway, you wouldn’t need him to make a promise about it. That’s why promises are doomed to be broken the moment they are made. Mostly, it is only a matter of time, depending on what is at stake. 

One time promises are easier to fulfil. My son made me promise that I would come home early that evening and play with him. Or, I would bring him his favorite toy. I would remember that, and I will take care to do that. But promises such as “I will always do it” or “I will never do it” are incredibly hard. 

The resolutions were promises on habits.  The always or never kind. They didn’t work. 

Perhaps, not making promises would work. Perhaps, knowing that resolutions don’t work would work. 

After all, if someone is likely to do something anyway, there is no need to make a promise about it.