Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, have a happy Monday.
Are you a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person? Do you see today as being days away from the end of 2025 or as days away from the beginning of a brand new year? The end is near but so is a new beginning. Do you have goals you want to achieve in 2026? You’re not alone. Most of us make at least one resolution a year.
The end is near. Actually, Wednesday is New Year’s Eve and the end of 2025. However, Thursday is New Year’s Day. It’s the start of 2026. A new year represents a new beginning. Next week is New Year’s Resolutions Week. Simply put, a resolution is the decision or determination to take action to do (or not do) something, usually to improve one’s self.
Resolutions don’t have to be made at the changing of the year – they can be declared anytime – however, New Year’s Eve is the most common time. ‘Tis the season to contemplate the past year’s accomplishments and shortcomings and to declare our resolutions for 2026 – what we want to stop, start, attain, or change.
‘Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results. It produces no results! Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.’ – Hamilton Holt, Hard Work With Some Caveats (PennWealth.WordPress.com; May 21, 2018)
It really doesn’t matter when you start a resolution. New Year’s Day is the most popular time choice, for its fresh start in the new calendar year. By the same reasoning, the 1st day of a new month, a new season (Spring is most popular, as it represents new life) or a new week are also popular choices to start a resolution, offering a psychological “clean slate”.
The important thing is to pick a start date and see it through, committing yourself to its eventual success. Most resolutions are, more often than not, abandoned at the first sign of failure. Mom always believed that successful achievements entailed hard work and commitment to attain your goals.
‘Having a goal gives us hope and it’s hope that keeps us going, enabling us each to meet whatever the world dishes out.’ – Gloria Pitzer [This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret Recipes, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p.24)]
These goals are usually connected to lifestyle changes that are, more often than not, related in some way to wealth, health, or education. Every year I resolute to get my home and my hobbies’ “aspirational clutter” better organized than the year before.
The 10 most common resolutions that I’ve found include losing weight, eating healthier, exercising more, saving more money, changing careers, quitting a bad habit, spending more quality time with friends and family, traveling more, learning a new skill, and starting a new hobby.
Other common resolutions are getting organized, managing time better, reading more, practicing gratitude to a greater extent, and volunteering (at a local non-profit organization).
‘Success is not in never failing, but in never fearing to begin again.’ – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret Recipes, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 14)
Did you know that most resolutions fall short or fail within the first two weeks of the declaration or, if not then, during the first two months? Supposedly, about 80% to 90% of resolutioners abandon their decrees shortly after making them. Thus, the second Friday in January has been designated as National Quitter’s Day.
Resolutions like wanting to start a hobby, lose weight, or read more are completely normal goals. So are the successes and failures associated with them. Unfortunately, buying whatever is needed to achieve your goal doesn’t automatically make it come to fruition – especially if you don’t follow through any further than that.
It’s okay if a resolution doesn’t work out as you thought it would but, first and foremost, it does deserve your very best effort to at least try to achieve it. There are many ways to help you achieve your goal(s) before you just give up and quit.
‘Live up to the best you can see yourself to be, never compromising with excuses and examining every reason for not doing what you are capable of doing…If, every day, we find a way to contribute our best efforts in thought, in action and with no regrets, we’ll never have to fear the future.’ – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 14)
10 TIPS TO AVOID QUITTING RESOLUTIONS:
- The best route to a successful lifestyle change must first happen in your mind. Positivity and confidence are required for the first step: “mind over matter”.
- Make your resolution(s) specific. Avoid being general, sweeping, and vague. [For example, instead of “I want to lose weight this year”, make it “I want to lose 50 pounds in 5 months”.]
- Focus on the reason(s) “why” you made the resolution(s). The motive(s) and inspiration(s) should be your own – what you want to achieve and why – not what someone else would like.
- Limit how many goals you set at one time. This is to avoid getting overwhelmed and disheartened.
- Start with small and achievable goals. Accomplishments build confidence. Work up to the bigger objectives or break them down into smaller goals, too.
- Allow yourself small rewards for your accomplishments. It’s important to celebrate every little success and make the whole process enjoyable.
- Have some kind of support system in place when you start – friends, family, or others with the same goal(s) – to encourage you throughout your resolution process and to share in celebrating those small successes.
- Keep in mind that changes take time. Therefore, set realistic time goals but leave room to adjust as needed.
- Prepare early – what are you going to need to successfully achieve your goal(s)? [For example, a scale and diet/exercise plan for weight loss.]
- Plan ahead – what other resources are you going to need to keep you going if quitting seems imminent?
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
Pearls of wisdom and other excerpts by Gloria Pitzer, as seen in…
This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986)
SUCCESS
VIEW YOUR OWN accomplishments, not in terms of how far you still have to go, but of how far you’ve already come. Once you’ve made that first little change in whatever it was that you were doing wrong, you’ve found living proof that change is possible. You don’t have to cover a mile at each stride. The tiny space between a negative act and a positive act is an incalculably large distance. Once you set your mind to believing in yourself, the results may amaze you! (p. 38)
ACHIEVEMENT v. SUCCESS
HELEN HAYES, the great actress, said her mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. Her mother advised her that ‘achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that’s nice too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for the achievement and forget about the success.’ (p. 43)
NOW’S THE TIME TO MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE.
WHAT WOULD YOU attempt if you knew you could not fail? Probably nothing that you couldn’t attempt now without a reasonable chance of success. But, by removing the risk, you might attempt things that were a bit more daring or slightly more challenging. (p. 52)
Wikipedia.com claims that making a resolution is more common in the western world than it is in the eastern one. That being said, ironically, the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions originated in the eastern world, over 4,000 years ago, when the Babylonians made their year-end promises to the gods, so as to earn their favor in the new year.
There are no rules for making resolutions. There’s nothing preventing you from changing the start date or deadline, making new resolutions or reiterating old ones that you’ve already attempted, but from which you fell short.
‘Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ – Mark Twain
By the way, January is, among other things, National Hobby Month. A lot of New Year’s resolutions are about starting a new hobby or turning a hobby into a career or livelihood. The biggest difference between a hobby and a business is “the intention to make a profit” and generate a regular income.
Similarly to Mark Twain’s quote (above), NationalDayCalendar.com says about hobbies: “…if you’re really lucky, you can find what you love to do and turn it into your career. You know what they say: ‘If you make your hobby your job, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.’”
LAST THOUGHTS…
Mondays have been my favorite day of the week for over seven years, since September 2018, when I started posting this blog to honor my mom. Additionally, I continue to reiterate my 2020 New Year’s resolution, to celebrate every Monday as my own 52 Chances a year, to honor Mom and share her story and recipes with everyone!
Making every Monday my weekly, memorable beginning is how I plan to proceed through this and every coming new year. It’s “52 CHANCES to see a beautiful sunrise… share your talents with the world… teach someone a new skill that will better their lives… of meeting new people.” For me, it’s 52 chances to tell Mom’s story and share one of her recipes.
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Pepper Pot Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Pepper Pot Soup, Like Ichabod Crane’s”; as seen in her self-published newsletter, Gloria Pitzer’s Monthly Cookbook of Secret Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; July 1981, p. 3). As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
The month of December observes… National Pear Month, National Write A Business Plan Month, Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Worldwide Food Service Safety Month, National Human Rights Month, Universal Human Rights Month, and more.
Tomorrow is… National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, Falling Needles Family Fest Day, and National Bacon Day.
Wednesday, December 31st, is… National Champagne Day and Make Up Your Mind Day. Plus, being the last work day of the year (for 2025), it’s also… No Interruptions Day. Additionally, from 11:30 p.m. on December 31st to 12:30 a.m. on January 1st of each year, it’s the… Universal Hour of Peace.
Thursday is the start of January and 2026! January celebrates… National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Mentoring Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Slow Cooking Month, National Soup Month, National Sunday Supper Month, and more.
January 1st is also… National Bloody Mary Day and National Hangover Day. [NOTE: It’s also the 51-year anniversary of Mom’s 2nd TV appearance, with Bob Hines on CKLW-TV Channel 9; Windsor, Ontario (Canada).]
Friday, January 2nd, is… National Buffet Day and National Cream Puff Day.
January 3rd is… National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day, National Drinking Straw Day, and National Fruitcake Toss Day. Plus, (for 2026) this is also… National Play Outside Day, which is the first Saturday of EVERY MONTH.
January 4th is… National Missouri Day, National Spaghetti Day, and National Trivia Day. As the start of the first week of January, it’s also the start of… Diet Resolution Week and Celebration of Life Week.
Happy new year and new you! Have a great week!
…52 down and a whole new year ahead! Happy New Year!
