As the New Year approaches many will entertain the time-honored tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions. I wondered who started this practice thinking it was a relatively recent phenomenon but it is actually quite old. Apparently, the first people to make New Year Resolutions were the Babylonians over 4000 years ago… and I would surmise they were the first to break resolutions too. For kicks, I googled some of the classic resolutions that most people make, and these seem to be the most common.
Your standard out-of-the-box New Years Resolutions:
- Exercise more
- Get organized
- Get more sleep
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Live life to the fullest
- Save more money / spend less money
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Less time on the phone
- Travel more
- Read more books
Just looking at this list I know I have fallen off the Resolution Wagon on just about all of these at one time or another, although I like to think I routinely “live life to the fullest” depending on my caffeine intake. I still need to exercise more, I still have a stack of books that need to be read, my phone gets way more attention than it deserves, and our camping gear collected a little more dust inside the house than out on the trail this year.
For many of us, we lose sight of our optimistic goals because well…. I’ll let Jeff Goldblum finish the thought…
It may feel so difficult to keep resolutions that you wish you had a personal coach to keep you on track. Might I suggest you already have someone in your home right now! Your dog!
Dogs are lovers of routine and are better at being consistent than we are. Their level of persistence and dogged determination is unrivaled. So why not incorporate your dog into your New Year’s resolution?
Let’s take a gander at that list again and see how our dogs can help us out
Exercise more: Dog walks are a great way to start a new health routine and don’t require a gym membership!
Get Organized: Dogs are fascinated by the stuff we drag out from cluttered closets and garages.
Get More Sleep: Belle has her place at the foot of our bed and is always ready for a snooze. She is a great foot warmer.
Learn a New Skill or Hobby: Practice a new routine with your dog. There is always something new that can be learned by you both. Feel free to be a goofball, develop your own dance or create a new game.
Live Life to the Fullest: Your dog has got your back and will happily show you how it is done every day. Be present in the moment!
Save More Money/Spen….: Ok your dog may not help you that much here, however, you are saving money on that Gym Membership by walking the dog!
Spend More Time with Family and Friends: Dogs are family and they want to be with you 25 hours a day.
Less Time on the Phone: Your dog will happily absorb that spare time. Granted you may feel inclined to post pics of your dog on social media.
Travel More: Heck yeah! Some of my most memorable adventures have been on road trips with Belle.
Read More Books: If it involves sitting on the couch, then your dog is all about it.
Don’t let distractions trip you up!
Our lives are filled with many mini-distractions that come at us from all directions. Your dogs may even put themselves between you and the distraction, demanding your attention!
Most important of all is to be kind to yourself if you get off track. Many of our best intentions are canceled before we even start because we “think” about it. Don’t overthink it, better yet, don’t think at all and just start. Perhaps “Being more Spontaneous” can be number 11 on the list and with that, Dogs can support us there too.
Be well everyone. I wish you all the best of health, peace, and prosperity in the New Year!
Brian Ezzell Dog Training 
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