Welcome, 2012

Good things are going to come this year, I can just feel it.  I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but I haven’t felt this optimistic about a new year in quite some time.  Typically I’m not one for resolutions.  I never stick with them and they become distant memories in a short period of time.  But this year, I’ve come up with a few.  Nothing too unrealistic, nothing too outside my comfort zone.  Just things that I planned on doing anyway, but writing about it will make me more accountable.

1. Write Every Day.  I’m already off to a bad start, having missed yesterday.  But I’m writing today, so that is success.  30 minutes every day at a minimum.  Hopefully I’ll be able to blog more than once a month, and maybe I can make some progress on a couple of book ideas I’ve been working on.

2.  Run 1000 Miles.  At first this seemed like a lot.  That’s like 83 miles a month! But if you break it down even more, it’s less than 20 miles a week.  That is totally doable.  However, I have yet to lace up the running shoes in the new year.

3.  Say I Love You More.  Everyone’s busy.  Me, my family, my friends.  We all have stuff going on.  But it makes me sad when I stop to think how much time passes between telling the people who matter most in my life how much they mean to me.  Along with this, I will make more phone calls, write more emails, and make more time for visits.

4.  Be More Organized.  I used to pride myself on my organization skills.  I’m not sure where it all fell apart, but it did.  I feel like I’m trying to do a lot right now, and the only way to keep on top of it all is to get my life in order.  I do better with a more structured environment, so while I lament the loss of the flexibility of my old job, I look forward to the routine that the new job will provide.  Staying organized also includes keeping my house clean.  I’ve actually accomplished that one – for the most part.  I only have a small amount of dusting and sweeping left upstairs.  Let’s hope it’s not another two months before I life another dust rag.

5.  Be Happy.  I wasn’t sure what to title this last one.  I spend a lot of time fretting and stressing over what other people think.  What if I say something stupid?  What if I make someone angry? What if I’m wrong?  What if I have to argue with someone even though I know I’m right?  All of these “what ifs” are exhausting and not productive.  And silly.  In order to focus on doing things that make me happy, I can’t worry about what other people think.  I can’t waste time doing things I don’t want to do just because someone might be mad if I say no.

Five things.  I don’t think this is too tall of an order.  They aren’t really resolutions, but goals to make 2012 the best that it can be.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

My New Take on New Year’s Resolutions

I am one of those people who always makes New Year’s resolutions.  And one of those people who never keeps them.  Until 2010.  I made two resolutions – lose weight and drink only one vodka drink in any given sitting.  Yes, that second one is real.  I had one too many New Year’s days after one (or ten) too many vodka drinks, and decided I needed to make a conscious effort to limit my consumption.  It actually worked.  I also lost weight (although I don’t think the two had anything to do with each other).

I had such a successful 2010 with my resolutions, I started thinking about what I could do to top that in 2011.  Within no time I had a list of like five or six things. Then the doubt started to creep in.  Was I setting myself up for failure?  Two is a lot less than five or six.  Let’s be honest, I wasn’t even presented with that many opportunities to drink vodka during the year.  So, instead of committing to running 5-6 times a week, cleaning the house from top to bottom on a weekly basis, keeping up on the laundry (including ironing), and a few other things that I’ve already forgotten, I came up with a new approach to my normal resolutions.

I thought about why I make resolutions.  Ultimately, I make them to try to improve life, my overall outlook on things, and my general happiness.  Is making a list of very specific resolutions (that are really mostly unattainable) actually going to achieve any of those things?  No, probably not.  This year, I am going to focus on doing things that further my goal of being happy and content with where I am in life.  Will the world end if I don’t iron all the shirts by Sunday?  No.  Will my life be different if I spend quality time with my husband doing something we both enjoy and bringing us closer together?  Yes.  So, for 2011 – no resolutions, no stressing out if something doesn’t get put away properly, etc.  2011 is going to be about positive actions to further life’s goals, and not beating myself up if I have to take a step back before taking two forward.  After all, life is about the journey.