I have given this topic quite a bit of consideration lately since the New Year is almost upon us. I have been struggling to find the perfect resolution to make, and be able to live up to. In doing so I researched this topic intensely, the lists compiled by researchers and internet pollers seem that most typically people choose the following resolutions;
1) better connections with family
2) fitness/health
3) quit smoking
4) get out of debt
5) get organized
6) enjoy life.
In all honesty they all seem like great resolutions to me. They make sense! So why then do we fail at keeping our pledges to bettering our lives, and more over why do we only think about this at New Years. Shouldn’t this be at the fore front of our personal agendas always?
The thing is there is something special about a new year. A real sense of rebirth, fresh start, new life, new YOU! I personally feel excited about the New Year. I am looking forward to change. I want a better life and this is the perfect most fitting time to make that leap into a new successful, productive life. All bad habits and mistakes can be easily thrown out as an “oh but that was last year” excuse as referring to it as ions ago…….
The trick is to not only think about what we want differently in our lives, but how can we make it different from years past. The first real step is actually identifying what we want. If making family connections is important enough to you, that it was your New Year’s resolution, than I am pretty sure you have realized that there was a problem in the way you were interacting before. So command the change, the end result will not only be good for you, but for the loved ones in your life as well.
The quit smoking / drinking thing…let’s face it if you really want to quit either smoking or drinking you would just do it. Using New Years Eve as a date to stop will not work. The joining a gym resolution always cracks me up. The new improved you………. thin and in shape just in time for summer to arrive. …..What a load of crap! Big gym fees, a shopping trip to the mall to get the perfect work out outfit and brand spanking new runners. I say run in your old sneakers down your own street for 3 straight weeks after the 1st of January, if by the end of the month you are still doing it…keep doing it! Why waste your money on a gym…
(oh cute personal trainers, never mind).
Seriously most people set themselves up for disappointment. If you don’t end up fulfilling your “self promise” to hit the gym a few times a week, don’t you end up feeling depressed for quitting? So how does that better your year?
Getting out of debt…..can that actually be a New Year’s resolution? No seriously? If winning the lottery is in the forecast or some rich old uncle you never knew about drops dead and you somehow are the only known kin, then sure…but realistically how? Better resolution would be to live different financially, decide what is a want or a need, like do your teenagers really need spending money, lunch money, or new cell phones, or their hair/nails done…ok I just solved my own financial woes by writing this… (Note to Christine…..find a large enough salt shaker to ride me of leeches!)Hahaha… ok seriously getting out of debt is probably a good idea, but choose one thing you want to pay off and work towards that. I am pretty sure that the feeling will be so great you will naturally want to take on another debt. But be realistic or you will fail and end up feeling depressed. A smoking fat broke depressed person is not what you want to see in the mirror mid June 2011.
Getting organized? Wow that is a huge ball of unorganized wax to undertake. Start off simple…write down what things bother you the most by not being organized. Once you identify what the items are, make it a family mission to reschedule or re organize. Looking at your entire house, every closet, cupboard, the toy room, the garage, your cars….can be extremely overwhelming. Pick one thing, and start there, you will find that the good feeling that comes with a small accomplishment will lead to another project. Before you know it your new routine will become a new way of life. Or in my case keep one room empty and de clutter every other room in the house, and just keep throwing everything in this empty room. Out of sight is out of mind…..its true the French /Latin word for this room is “garage”.
Enjoy life ….in my opinion this is the greatest resolution of all… the trick here is how? How do we truly enjoy life? The pressures of everyday life can at times be taxing on our ability to see what is important. …….Learning to shut our Blackberry’s off when we get home from work, or calling in sick to stay home with a spouse for a passion filled day…….. take an extra five minutes after dinner with your son or daughter.... play a video game or talk.
Surprisingly the things that have brought me the greatest joys have been by chance. Just being somewhere with someone and making a connection/memory has been a lot of fun. While I sit here and look back over the past year of my life I find myself chuckling about some really dumb, yet memorable moments I have had with my children and my best friends. If we can’t enjoy our lives, then what is the point? It is my greatest hope for me in 2011. I think I choose that as my New Year’s Resolution for 2011.
ENJOY LIFE!!!! Yes that is it, I resolve to the fact that in 2011 I am going to enjoy life, and absolutely everything it has to offer. Where opportunity is lacking I shall create one…I plan on laughing as hard as I can, as often as I can. I have garnered some big skills and tools this year that I know will come in handy for 2011. Oh and I plan on fulfilling my “fuck it” list in 2011. Most importantly I will enjoy my life with my new found connections with family and friends. I will not quit smoking or drinking, I will not try to look good in a bathing suit this summer by joining a gym, I will not try to get out of debt or re organize my life……I am just going to enjoy my life exactly as it is, and not fail at living up to my New Year’s Resolution for 2011.
Happy New Years!
~Christine~
~Christine~
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