I love New Year's Day. I love the idea that the last year is over and can be washed away from us, and I love the idea that we have an entire near year ahead of us to make fabulous choices and go on exciting adventures during. It's promising. With that promise comes the idea of the "new year's resolution."
Some people don't really care for them or don't see the point, and most people make them and then forget about them in a couple of weeks. Others thrive for the challenge. I am obviously in the latter (what kind of post would this be if I was in the other two?). I love making about five resolutions every year, and although I rarely accomplish all of my resolutions, I know that by working toward them all I am becoming a better and more well rounded person. Like for example, I made a handful of resolutions for 2011, but the only one I remember and accomplished was "no fear." It opened my world up to let go of all the fear that held me bounded to the ground.
So since it's a new year I've made up a list of my 2012 resolutions. In no particular order, here they are for you to bask in:
1. Make a schedule and keep at it: I am horrible at time management. If you look at when this blog was started (early in 2011) and when the posts were written (one shortly after starting the blog and one last month) you'll understand that my time management skills need a little work. I always say "Hey, I'll do this" and then never get around to it. I waste a lot of time doing useless things like checking out cute cat videos on Youtube or reading Cracked.com articles (my current one: Racist Children's Books). My hope is that by setting down a schedule on paper and placed in an area that I look at frequently I will find more time for the things I want to do and weed out the unproductive time (although one might say that my knowledge base has grown exponentially by reading Cracked.com lists, and by "one" I mean me). Also, there's that pesky grad school program that will probably appreciate me spending time on homework and reading.
2. Learn Spanish: I want to learn Spanish because I think everyone should know multiple languages. I also love the language and the culture. I can get paid an added bonus for being bilingual (especially with Spanish) in my profession in my area, too. So why not?
3. Eat a well balanced diet: I have a horrible diet. I mean this in every sense. I am the opposite of a vegetarian. I love anything that isn't a fruit or vegetable, basically. And yet I maintain a very petite, thin figure. Since I was somehow born with a metabolism that could allow me to eat an elephant and not be fazed, I don't really think much about my "diet." The truth is, though, even skinny people need to be eating healthy and watching what they consume. So I've taken it upon myself to start eating fruits and vegetables and balancing out the foods I eat a la the food pyramid. This may be the hardest resolution. I am already regretting it. Good sign, right?
4. Stop drinking soda: This is a separate resolution from my diet one because this is something that I will have to actively work on even when I'm not focused on my food intake. I love Dr Pepper. I drink a lot of it when it is around me. For this reason, I am going to slowly wean myself off of it. This makes me so sad, but it is horrible for me to drink so much of it. So I'm hoping to get to a place of moderation. Everything is good in moderation, right?
5. Write more: The whole time management thing should help with this resolution. I want to write more. I want to write in here more. I want to work on my novel more. I want to write letters and emails. I just want to get my creative writing juices going. To be a writer, I must write. So that is what I will do. Now that I've written this, I am going to be held to it. Come January 2013, I don't want to look back on the 2012 year of blogging and see a measly handful of posts. Keep me motivated, readers. :)
So there you have it. My five resolutions. I was going to add something in about exercising and getting in shape (I can't climb two flights of stairs without feeling and sounding like I just ran a marathon), but I decided that I'll just do that on the side. I don't want to commit to physical exercise. I'm lazy, so very lazy.
Did you make any resolutions? If so, what were they and what inspired it? If you hate resolutions or think they are a waste of time, tell me why! I'd love to hear other perspectives on this annual "new me in the new year" tradition. And regardless of your resolution stance, I wish all of you a happy and successful new year!
