• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Self Help Daily

Inspirational and Self Help Blog with a Save the World Complex...

  • Home
    • Tour Self Help Daily
    • Self Help Daily’s Archives
    • Privacy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Contact
  • Inspirational Quotes
  • Self Help
    • Positive Thought
    • Health
    • Mental Fitness
    • Relationships
    • Self Growth
    • How to Be Happy
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Self Help Daily / Daily Quote / How Abraham Lincoln Would Have Approached New Year’s Resolutions

How Abraham Lincoln Would Have Approached New Year’s Resolutions

December 31, 2009 by Joi 12 Comments

Book links are usually affiliate links. This means I earn a small percentage when you click through and buy the book. This costs you nothing extra - it simply allows me to keep my cats in the lifestyle they're accustomed to.

“We must think anew, and act anew.” – Abraham Lincoln

Did anyone in history understand the importance of thinking and acting anew more than Abraham Lincoln? When President Lincoln wrote the words above, his beloved country was facing its darkest hour: The Civil War.  He wrote, “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  We must think anew, and act anew.”

2010 is on our doorstep.  In fact, as I’m typing these words, he’s making his way into many homes.  The type of house guest he’ll become is, to a large extent up to us.  If we are able to approach old problems with new solutions, he may be the finest house guest we’ve ever had.  However, if we keep doing that which isn’t quite good enough, he’ll be like the overbearing uncle that always wears out his welcome as he wears out our nerves.

Thinking and acting anew is pretty much what New Year’s Resolutions are all about.  When the man who is 40 pounds overweight sits down with his pen and paper and writes “Eat out less often….  Walk for 30 minutes each day…. No more fries!… etc.” he is, in fact, finding new approaches to 40 old problems.  In the period of time that he spends with his pen and paper, his mind searches for new actions that’ll solve his problem, new ideas that’ll lead him to a happier and healthier life.  If he just wrote “Lose weight” on his paper, he wouldn’t be making a resolution as much as he’d be making a wish.

If you want your own New Year’s Resolutions to help guide you along the path to making your dreams come true, be specific.  Take specific problems and come up with specific solutions.

As one of the greatest Americans to ever live said, “We must think anew, and act anew.”

I’d like to take the opportunity to wish you the happiest and healthiest 2010 imaginable.  I hope you laugh daily, love deeply, and live life as it’s meant to be lived – out loud and with a smile on your face.  If you have big dreams, I hope you’ll never quit running toward them and if you have high hopes, I hope you never quit reaching for them.  God bless you and those you dearly love!  Happy New Year! – Joi

Filed Under: Daily Quote, General, Positive Thought, Self Help

Previous Post: « Goal Setting – Why New Year’s Resolutions Waste Your Time & What to Do to Accomplish More Goals
Next Post: Setting Yourself Up to Succeed »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Grampa Ken on Life and Social Change says

    January 1, 2010 at 9:32 am

    If only I could make a new era resolution for the whole world – it would be to eliminate poverty, enact a binding world truce banning all wars, full protection of natural resources, and encourage valued living.
    For myself I will try to enjoy each day free of stress and worry and make a new friend at every opportunity.
    Keep up with your generous efforts Joi and best wishes for 2010 and way beyond …
    .-= Grampa Ken on Life and Social Change´s last blog ..2059 What a Wonderful Year =-.

  2. joi says

    January 1, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    Best wishes to you and your loved ones, Ken. I hope 2010 exceeds your wishes and hopes.

    I always learn something from your words and wisdom! – Joi

  3. Jordan Bryant says

    January 1, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    Great post Joi.

    By thinking out your problems you create the strategy necessary for overcoming any hurdle.

  4. JACQUI JONES says

    January 1, 2010 at 3:16 pm

    Hello and Happy New Year to you. I haven’t actually read this article but I’ve been reading a lot of your others. You sound so nice and lovely and kind. And an animal lover as well. I just wondered if you might be able to give some tips about starting up blogging. How long have you been blogging for? You have such a lovely blog and your message is very similar to my own. Do you find that writing about inspirational things helps your own life? I do! 🙂

  5. Lonely Little Bitch says

    January 2, 2010 at 7:11 am

    This is inspiring – thanks very much. I’ve spent the last five years working like a maniac and finding myself acting in ways unrecognisable to my old self. Although I thought about making a change for some time, it is only now that I have decided to do something about it. I’ve created my own blog to help me with the process http://lonelylittlebitch.com/.

    And I’m going to continue following yours for inspiration.

    Happy New Year!
    .-= Lonely Little Bitch´s last blog ..Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Part 2 =-.

  6. joi says

    January 2, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    Thanks so much, LLB 🙂

    I can’t wait to check your blog out – you get major points for a great, original domain name! – Joi

  7. joi says

    January 2, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Jacqui (love your name – it’s beautiful!) –

    Thanks for the incredibly sweet words, they made my day! I’ve been blogging for years and years now – since I can remember, actually! Here’s an article I recently wrote about blogging – http://www.selfhelpdaily.com/how-to-blog/ and below are two other ones I wrote a while back.

    The ABC’s of Blogging Part 1 – http://www.selfhelpdaily.com/the-abcs-of-blogging/
    The ABC’s of Blogging Part 2 – http://www.selfhelpdaily.com/the-abcs-of-blogging-2/

    As for helping in my own life, writing, research, and blogging most definitely do! The more I read and learn, the more I realize just how much I have left to learn! Writing my blog posts remind me of keeping a journal, in a way – and that’s always enlightening and inspiring.

    Best of luck, Jacqui, and keep at it. Giving up is easy – especially when you’re starting out. But if you hang in there, it could be the best thing you ever did for yourself! – Joi

  8. joi says

    January 2, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    You are so right, Jordan. Thanks! – Joi

  9. Robert T says

    January 13, 2010 at 8:12 am

    I have to say that I was curious about the same thing and I talked to my doctor about it last week. He informed me the body is like a machine that needs the right amount of water and fuel in order to run correctly. He suggested that I see a dietician and other health professional at [Indianapolis Hospitals to help me on my journey to health. He also stated your body will give you signs when it had too much or too little of water. He also recommends that I take time to mediate everyday to allow my mind to refresh like a computer. I have tried this method and it is helpful especially when the previous day was hell.

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Self Improvement and New Year's Resolutions -- Topsy.com says:
    January 1, 2010 at 12:32 am

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by TeamThinkBIG and Stan Carter Jr., Ezra Gardener. Ezra Gardener said: How Abraham Lincoln Would Have Approached New Year’s Resolutions: “We must think anew, and act anew.” – Abra… http://bit.ly/529eZR […]

  2. Twitted by teamThinkBIG says:
    January 1, 2010 at 12:37 am

    […] This post was Twitted by teamThinkBIG […]

  3. Goal Setting – Why New Year’s Resolutions Waste Your Time & What to Do to Accomplish More Goals says:
    January 12, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    […] How Abraham Lincoln Would Have Approached New Year’s Resolutions “We must think anew, and act anew.” – Abraham… […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Self Help Blog

Cat on Pine Mountain , Kentucky

Welcome to Self Help Daily, a blog devoted to helping you get the most from life by getting the most from yourself!

Read the story behind the picture above in How to Live in the Moment.

Positive Affirmation Cards


Positive Affirmation Cards (Amazon)

Contact Joi

My name is Joi (“Joy”)! I am the animal lover behind Self Help Daily.

To contact me, please do so through e-mail (joitsigers @ gmail.com). Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you! ~ Joi

Self Help Blog Updates

  • Becoming A Nutritionist: 4 Key Things To Consider
  • 7 Things To Start Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For
  • 10 Surprising Ways to Improve WorkPerformance
  • 4 Powerful Self Development Tools To Transform Your Life
  • Christian Book Review: Before Amen by Max Lucado
  • Fixing Your Underbite: A Practical Guide
  • Five Ways That You May Be Affecting Your Brain Health Without Realizing It
  • Create a Zen Room in Your Home (Perfect for Creating a Home Sweet Haven)

Featured Quote Graphics

Don't Quit Quote Graphic

Dr. Seuss Quote About Being Who You Are

Booker T. Washington Quote About Hate

Wayne Dyer Quote About Karma

Quote About Habits

Footer

Inspirational Quotes

  • Abraham Lincoln Quotes
  • Billy Graham Quotes
  • Booker T. Washington Quotes
  • Dale Carnegie Quotes
  • Maya Angelou Quotes
  • Mark Twain Quotes
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes
  • Norman Vincent Peale Quotes

More Inspirational Quotes

❖ Self Help Daily Updates



Overcoming Empty Nest Syndrome

One of the questions I hear the most from my readers is, "How can I cope with empty nest syndrome?" I'll try to deal with this sensitive subject as often as possible. If you have any suggestions, I hope you'll contribute to the conversations!

  • Coping With Empty Nest Syndrome
  • Don't Just Cope in an Empty Nest, Thrive!
  • How to Be Happy in an Empty Nest
  • Overcoming Empty Nest Syndrome
Copyright Self Help Daily 2021