The New Year, Chinese or otherwise, has now passed. The parties, and any hangovers（宿醉，遗物）, are long gone. Unfortunately, for many of you, your New Year's resolutions are only memories. The gym bag sits forlorn（被遗忘的） in the corner, the bean sprouts（豆芽） wilt in your fridge. Your intentions were good, I know. You resolved to get into a new exercising habit, eat better, spend more time at work, spend more time with the family, or volunteer for a local charity. Or maybe all of the above.
To those of you who are sticking to your New Year's resolutions I say CONGRATULATIONS! Don't be too smug. For those of you who have not, I say CONGRATULATIONS!
Why would I congratulate people who haven't stuck to their resolutions? Simple. They MADE resolutions. Deciding to change yourself, really committing to be a better person in some way, is not a decision arrived at easily. The fact that you decided to change yourself means that you've taken stock of yourself. You've reflected. You haven't let the powerful forces of rationalization（合理化） prevent you from committing to self-change.
"But," you say, "I failed. That's terrible isn't it? It's so depressing. Why even bother trying if it's so hard?"
I have news for you: You are not perfect. You are not all-powerful. Self-change is hard, so it's not terribly surprising that you didn't get it right the first try. So, stop feeling so bad. It's like when someone gets thrown from a horse. What do the horsie-types say? You're supposed to get up, brush the dust off, and get back on that horse! That's what you need to do right now.
相关单词：sprouts
sprouts解释：n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出
sprouts例句：
The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
相关单词：wilt
wilt解释：v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱
wilt例句：
Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。
相关单词：resolved
resolved解释：adj.下定决心的，断然的；坚决的；已解决的v.做决定，分解(resolve的过去式和过去分词)
resolved例句：
I was resolved not to see him. 我决意不见他。
The union resolved to strike by 40 votes to 18. 工会以40票对18票通过决议举行罢工。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：decided
decided解释：adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
decided例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
相关单词：stock
stock解释：n.存货，储备；树干；血统；股份；家畜；adj.存货的；平凡的，惯用的；股票的；畜牧的；vt.进货，采购；储存；供给；vi.出新芽；进货
stock例句：
The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。
相关单词：depressing
depressing解释：a.令人沮丧的；令人忧愁的
depressing例句：
Laundromat is really depressing. 自助洗衣店真闷。
The retrospect was depressing. 回想起来令人沮丧。
