What are your [re]solutions?

It’s that time of year when we start making our resolutions. You know the drill… I resolve to join a gym (ha! that’s so January 2020). I resolve to drink less alcohol. I resolve to spend less money (that will certainly be easy until restrictions are lifted!)

But what are resolutions really about? Why do we wait until the New Year to start something? Is it because we don’t really want to be doing whatever that “good for me” thing is?

What if we created solutions instead? Solutions are answers to problems. You can’t solve a problem until you’ve identified it. I’m going to bear my soul here: Apples to Zucchini is a non-profit organization; in addition to class registration fees, we rely on donations from individuals and foundations. There was a grant we were really hoping to get in December; we were perfectly suited for the grant. But we didn’t get it. When I learned why, I was really frustrated. I said to my husband, “if I could have talked to them before they made the decision, I could have answered their questions, and explained the larger picture around what we are doing and how we are doing it.” He replied, “you should have talked to them, rather than sitting back and waiting for the grant.” Yup, he’s right. The problem: I didn’t communicate. The solution: you better believe that I will be talking to lots of organizations about AtoZ in 2021! No more hiding our light under a bushel. My solution is to communicate.

Here’s the difference between a resolution and a solution:

• Resolution: I will raise $100,000 in 2021

• Solution: I will reach out to the foundations and non-profit organizations in town to communicate our needs and how we can meet their needs.

Resolutions often feel like “shoulds.” And we humans are often resistant to “shoulds.” One of my girlfriends used to say to her [now ex-] husband, “Don’t should on me!”

Solutions feel like….solutions. A way to fix a problem, a plan of action, something I am choosing to do because I know it can work and I want to solve a specific problem. Identify the problem; implement a solution.

I think we often fail in our resolutions because we haven’t identified the problem. A great example is “I resolve to become vegetarian (or vegan).” What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? You don’t want to responsible for the death of animals? You want to get skinny? You don’t want to be part of the animal industrial complex? You want to save money? These are all reasons that people give to eat less or no meat. But if YOU don’t know the problem you’re solving, then the first time you drive past Chicken Ranch and get a whiff of their BBQ, you’ll head straight for a tri-tip burrito! If you resolve to eat less meat because you should, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you identify the problem — I do not want to contribute to global warming by giving my money to a farming complex that uses more resources than necessary to feed humans — then the decision becomes much easier.

Identify the problem; implement a solution.

If the problem is that you’re not getting enough exercise, try laying out your workout clothes at night before you go to bed. My husband does this every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night so he’s ready to meet his running group in the dead of night (OK, 5:30am). I put my running shoes in a place where I can’t miss them to remind myself of the promise I made to myself the night before.

If the problem is that your family isn’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, make sure fruits and vegetables are easier to eat than chips and cookies. Keep fruit on the counter. Cut up apples, oranges, melons in the morning, and make them easy to grab. Don’t have time to cut fruit? Buy pre-cut fruit at the grocery store and put it out on a plate for quick grabbing. While prepping dinner, put out sliced carrots, peas, cucumbers. Make it easy.

What are the problems you hope to solve in 2021? The COVID pandemic has laid everything bare. We are all recognizing problems that were easy to ignore in our previously hustle-bustle lives. But we also jumped quickly to solutions — we have been wearing masks, standing on friend’s doorsteps when we catch up, shopping less (and therefore buying less), and learning how to Zoom. We know that we can identify problems and implement solutions. When you do that, you will regain control. I wish you all the best in 2021!