Do You Make Resolutions?
It’s here, the last day of 2012. And after the dust settles from tonight’s festivities, we’ll be looking toward new things in 2013. So I want to know: what resolutions are you making for 2013? If you make resolutions, that is.
I’ll share mine in the comments as well—after I come up with them.
While you’re brainstorming, here are 4 tips for making those resolutions stick.
1. Be specific: You’ll have an easier time sticking to your goals if you know exactly what your goals are.
2. Make your goal public: There’s nothing like being accountable to your family, friends, and Twitter followers to make you achieve a goal.
3. Swap good behaviors for bad: Don’t just go cold turkey. Substitute behaviors and kill two birds with one stone. For example: stop watching so much T.V. and taking a yoga class can go hand in hand.
4. Track your progress: As I told one of my friends this summer, nothing motivates me like a progress bar.
As a Christian, I find the look back and look ahead very meaningful. I check back through my journals to see if I’ve been faithful to my values. Then it’s time to see what I can improve on. That list is usually longer!
This year’s resolutions –
1) spiritual: pursue a relationship with God wholeheartedly through spiritual disciplines and paying attention to scripture and prayer
2) mental: I finished my PhD last year so need to keep up research and writing. I’ll aim to write 3 conference or peer review papers
– Brush up on languages: German and French; maybe start on Spanish (I’ve always wanted to learn it)
3) physical: eat vegan most of the time.
– Exercise 1/2 hour 5X a week.
4) Social: have people over at least once a month. I’ll have the house clean and enjoy friends’ company.
5) Other: read good books that satisfy the heart and soul (fiction or non-fiction)
– Declutter the basement. This is a 12 month chore of sorting 18 years of accumulation so I’ll have to set out written guidelines… I’m overwhelmed by the thought.
As a Christian, I like to look back and then ahead. On Dec. 31 I typically peruse the past year’s journal to see if I’ve kept the resolutions from the last year, asking, what needs strengthening? Where have I done well? Then I make resolutions for the new year. This year –
1) spiritual: renew my commitment to the faith. Pursue a relationship with God by paying attention to scripture and prayer; choose spiritual disciplines to shore up weak areas and create a balanced spirituality
2) mental: I finished my PhD this year so I need to continue research and writing. I plan to write 3 conference or peer reviewed articles and finish the intro and conclusion of my book.
- Boost my German and French. Maybe start Spanish? (Have wanted to learn this for about 10 years)
3) physical: exercise 5 X 1/2 hour minimum each week. (Signed up for a women’s 2X wk bootcamp and 2X hot yoga. Add a walk or two?)
– Eat more vegan meals, especially with raw and fresh ingredients
4) Other: Anticipate joy – enjoy babysitting my granddaughter weekly; look forward to visits from the kids each Sunday lunch
– Celebrate a long marriage (35 years) by showing my husband love any way I can – more service to thank him for serving me (Yup, he’s a keeper! who brings me tea each morning and rubs my feet every evening.)
– Be open to new experiences and changes. Purge the clutter of the basement by next Christmas to perhaps renovate the space in 2014.
Looking forward to the New Year. You?