My New Year's Resolution, Fuggedaboutit!

As a real estate broker and sales manager for most of my adult life, one of the bedrock tenets I preached about to my sales teams was the importance of setting goals.  Let me clarify if I may, realistic goals.  The significance of which often separated the long term career oriented successful and ever improving salesperson from the short term quick hitter or ninety day wonder as we used to say.  Whether you are an aspiring athlete, academic, business manager or virtually any other profession you need the self discipline of setting and working towards completion of goals to continually progress and succeed.  The same can be said about our lives too, at least for the most part.
I'm talking about the annual unrealistic process we go through that involves a measure of self loathing, personal assessment and then the putting together of the ultimate crash and burn, surely doomed to fail New Year's resolution list!  You know the upcoming new achievements you talk about at parties after we all end up comparing our houses, careers and possessions to one another.  Oh, come on now, we all at sometime have done it.  After all we're proud of our hard work, families, accomplishments and purchases.  They have become our measuring stick for life in many ways.  At least in the world's eyes. But when the conversation goes from our jobs or kids to ourselves that's when a life size mirror immediately pops up in our minds!  All of sudden for some reason the image of yourself is most always susceptible to self criticism.  Instantly a litany of images appear!  I'm too heavy. Where did my hair go?  Why are all my parts moving south?  My face has more lines than than an airport at Christmas. I should bleach my teeth, pluck my eyebrows, join a gym, eat less, eat better, upgrade my wardrobe, climb Mt. Everest or my personal favorite, be a better person!  What?  What the heck does that mean?  It could mean anything or nothing.  Because it has no definition or boundaries to work towards.  I mean if I helped an elderly woman across the street once this new year does that technically make me a better person than last year?  I guess so.  If I have set the bar as low as my big toe.  No my friends it doesn't.  Neither does making a list of resolutions each year!  Studies have shown that over 88% of us do not stick with our resolutions.  It has something to do with the frontal cortex of our brains and our willpower.  Hah, what does that say about our willpower?  So why do the vast majority of us set these unrealistic goals each year?  I don't know, ask me after my third piece of Lou Malnati's pizza when I'm trying to eat better and cut my cholesterol.  Seriously folks, it has to do with our self image.
Because we live in a botox, liposuction, get a lift or implant, Photoshopped, Hollywood worshiping narcissistic, I am never good enough society, we feel compelled to do this.  It's a constant both in your face and subliminal assault and it's a shame and wrong.
Yes, we should take care of our physical temples that God made our souls to live in.  We should exercise and eat a well balanced diet too.  But we should also live according to His perfect desire for us and not the world's!  Did you ever hear the statement, "That so and so is beautiful on the inside as well the outside?"   They are usually a person of great spiritual peace which God then uses to further enhance their physical beauty.  In short they radiate an eternal perspective on health, prosperity and joy.   If Jesus lived a perfect life and God created us in His own image, then in His eyes we are all beautiful and loved equally.  Another words, He set the standards we should live by.  So when you go to make that list every year of doomed to fail resolutions, don't.  Instead, promise yourself that you are going to make changes mentally, physically and spiritually that will naturally improve your self esteem and image.  I guarantee you if you pray everyday, read God's word and apply His love to others in your life, people will be clawing over one another to ask you about how you do it.   Remember my friends, a narcissist needs only a room full of mirrors to feel loved.

1st Cor. 6 19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.