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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, January 1, 2002

Resolve to make resolutions you might actually keep

By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer

Ahhh ... New Year's resolutions. That bold statement of our better selves, those good intentions that hover on the dawn of an untouched new year: Lose 10 pounds, exercise, write more letters, back up the hard drive. Yet, however firm we stand today, the art of the fresh start, like leftover pizza, soon gets wedged at the back of the fridge.

So, who do we blame?

Well, it goes way back. The first resolutions are thought to have come from Egypt 4,000 years ago, when the annual flooding of the Nile in September provided farmers along its banks with silt to grow their crops for the following year. Feverish farming and much borrowing of equipment followed. By January, to avoid confusion, the Egyptians resolved to return all farm equipment to the rightful owner. And there we have it: the seeds of resolutions were sown.

Thousands of years later, we're still trying to figure out why we can't keep the promises we make to ourselves.

Honolulu presentation coach Pam Chambers says she has ambivalent feelings about the tradition: "Sometimes I think resolutions are just a great idea, and the idea of turning over a new leaf is very positive. But they can also be a source of disappointment — usually because people make resolutions that are not realistic."

Resolutions should be "bite-size enough" to be achievable, Chambers said. And if they are not, don't give up on them — rethink and revise them.

David Watson, a retired University of Hawai'i psychology professor, has plenty to say about making resolutions. Watson, whose academic concentration is in self-control, says it is important before making a lifestyle change to ask yourself, "Is it really worth it to me?"

Writing in the UH newsletter, Ku Lama, Watson advises that you think through exactly how you will make the change. "Be specific. If you plan to cut back on snacks, keep a record of how many you eat a day. If it's six, tell yourself you will only eat four the next day."

Watson is also author of "Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment" (Wadsworth Publishing, paperback, $44.95).

He says expect to make mistakes. "When unwanted behaviors have been automatic for a long time, everyone slips back at unguarded moments. "The important thing is how you respond to those mistakes."

Watson, who lost 20 pounds over four months by giving up desserts ("Crash diets just don't work"), had to deal with falling back into old routines himself. "The important thing always is to acknowledge the slip and get right back on the program," he said.

New Year resolutions? Get real. Here are the resolutions for some Hawai'i folks:

  • Nicholas Jachowski, 15-year-old Maui High School student (winner of Hawai'i State Geography Bee, finished second in the U.S. national contest. Jachowski also placed third in the Hawai'i State Spelling Bee and 10th in the state Math Counts competition — "To become a competent photographer. To help people learn more about the world and learn more about the world myself, because in the world's current state of affairs it is more important than ever before to know what is happening, why it is happening and to formulate our own educated ideas about the issues."

  • Terence Knapp, University of Hawai'i theater professor — "Oh my God. Well, it really has to be to watch my diet, because since I've given up smoking, I have to exercise enormous self-control in what I eat. My other resolution (which Knapp confesses to breaking consistently) is to stop reading at 2 a.m. Reading is my passion, and once I get into a good book, I can't stop reading, so I don't get enough sleep."

  • Samuel Wong, Honolulu Symphony music director — "My hopes for the new year are enriched by the addition of my new son, the most wonderful thing in the world. Resolutions? To live more fully, to love more deeply and to make music more passionately."

  • Evan Dobelle, president of the University of Hawai'i — "I have two: I promised myself I would take care of myself physically, which I didn't do last year, and also that I would try to be resolute in all that I do and not take criticism personally. "I'm making the same two resolutions this year. I'm starting early and I've been on the treadmill already this holiday season. June Jones told me he may call me up for the team (I have one year of eligibility left) ... so I need to be fit."

  • Vicky Cayetano, first lady — "I try to be realistic and not make a whole bunch of resolutions I know I can't keep. Exercise regularly — I do, Spend time with my family — I do. The one promise I've made to myself this coming year is to write more letters, call a friend, keep in touch with those I don't see regularly. Friends and family are a top priority. And, of course, I always say I will eat less sweets. I don't just have 'a sweet tooth,' I have a full set."

  • Pam Chambers, presentation coach — "I've vowed to myself during the first week of January to purge my closet ruthlessly. My second resolution is to network more by showing up and participating at community events. Nothing beats it for meeting people."