When I think about all the sugar and junk and deliciously bad food I’ve eaten over the last few days, my first instinct is to cringe. To have a wave of massive guilt and say, “At least January 1 is coming, so I can start all over.”
Yes, I am totally that person. The one addicted to doing new personal resolutions each year. Perhaps this could be the year I’d learn to speak German, or lose that extra weight, or read 5000 books, or whatever. Every year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve sat down with my blank piece of paper on December 31, excited about the prospect of how I was going to change myself. Better myself.
I’m not going to do that this year.
Instead, I’m going to try a different strategy. This year I’m going to not write a list of how I can make myself “better”–less stressed, less fat, more educated, more efficient, blah blah blah. This year, I’m gonna focus on all the awesome things I already have and simply being happy with who I am right now.
Loving my job. My body. My family. My life. Stop worrying so much about trying to achieve these goals that will supposedly push me to the “next level” and make my life complete.
My life IS complete. And I should be happy about it. Appreciate it.
What about you? Are you a person who loves making personal resolutions? Or do you prefer not sweating them?
I’ve refused to make resolutions for well over a decade now because a) they never made sense to me and b) no one ever keeps them. So I made the only New Year’s resolution to have ever been kept for any length of time and resolved to never make another one. It’s worked brilliantly.
Of course, I do periodically get the urge to try to improve myself in various fashions throughout the year, but those aren’t the same as resolutions, largely because the word “resolve” never appears in my thought process. Splitting hairs, but hey, at least it works.
I’m both. I’m one who makes the resolutions, but I WISH I was one who didn’t sweat them.
I’ve never been big on resolutions. I’ve always thought that if someone wanted to make a change, why wait until New Year to do it. I can understand the appeal of a new year, new you kind of thing but I’d rather focus on what works for my life right now, and any changes that I’d like to make I’ll make them when the right time present itself.
I’m not a resolution sort of woman. I lack the proper follow through. I just figure I’ll do well just to be me. I do want to lose weight, but I refuse to pressure myself that way. It’s not a resolution so much as a possibility of change.
I used to do NYRs until I figured out my personal brand of lazy allowed me to keep anything that was NOT doing something (i.e. I will not drink soda. I haven’t drunk one–outside of party punch; I don’t believe in asking what’s in the party punch–in years). But I can’t keep a resolution that requires me to DO something (i.e. I will exercise three times a week. Um, no. I won’t).
Now I do focus ideas for the year. There is no specific goal or requirement, just an idea that I will be mindful of over the year. For example, two years ago I picked health. That year I read books on diet theory (and tried a few different theories out to see how they worked for me until I found something I can live with happily), tried different forms of exercise, bought a few cheap apps for my phone. Without a specific goal in mind, I dropped several dress sizes to something I’m pleased with, can do a pull up for the first time in my life and am more flexible than I was ten years ago. (And as much as I wanted yoga to be my go-to-exercise, my overzealous use of Groupon’s various workout deals led me to find that not yoga, but pole dancing is apparently the one exercise on earth I will go to because I want to. I love hanging upside down!)
This year I’m focusing on time management. With the new girls (who will hopefully be permanent!) and the new book releases and trying to write another book, I need it!
I’m totally adopting your philosphy, Rhonda. New Year’s resolutions have never worked for me and I’m tired of beating myself up over it.
Have a Happy and Healthy 2013!