Silicon Valley Professor Warns against Bad New Year’s Resolutions

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Dec. 31, 2013 - PRLog -- Northern California philosophy professor Javy W. Galindo warns that people need to think more carefully about the resolutions they make this New Year. According to Galindo, we may not be making the right ones.

“Many of us make New Year’s resolutions based on an old, programmed approach to happiness that doesn’t necessarily work. Instead of striving towards goals that make us happy, making the wrong resolutions can actually lead us to being unhappy. Before making resolutions, we should really first question our approach to happiness.”

Galindo is the author of “The Power of Thinking Differently: An imaginative approach to creativity, change, and the discovery of new ideas.” In his college courses, Galindo shares with his students the latest research on the psychology of happiness and explains that our normal approach to happiness may be misguided.

“We often approach happiness as if it were something we can get or bring into our lives. It’s a message we’ve learned well from marketers. But studies show that happiness is much more about how we choose to approach life and not the conditions of our life, some of which we can’t control.”

So instead of resolving to lose ten pounds, find the perfect mate, or save enough to buy a fancier car, Galindo encourages people to take an alternative approach to resolutions.

“Resolve to take inventory of progress towards goals, rather than living and dying on the accomplishment of them. Resolve to appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t.  Resolve to take it easier on yourself, rather than beat yourself up when things don’t go right. I think resolutions can have the most profound impact on people’s happiness if they focus on changing their perspectives rather than their circumstances.”

Javy W. Galindo, M.A., M.Eng., currently teaches college courses in psychology, philosophy, and the humanities at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in Cupertino and Pleasant Hill, California. His newest book, “Authentic Happiness in Seven Emails” (Enlightened Hyena Press), is due out spring of 2014. His book “The Power of Thinking Differently” is currently on sale for the New Year for over 70% off. It can be found on Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/1hSTHGC) and other retailers.  For more information, Javy can be contacted through his website at http://www.thinking-differently.com