Happy new year to my loyal followers and welcome to newcomers. I hope your winter holidays were safe and enjoyable. Now let’s get down to some serious business and start the new year right.
New year, new resolutions. Today we start our diets, we are resolved that we will lose those 10, 20, 30 pounds of holiday reveling. We will go to the gym more often, we will condition our bodies for that marathon we’ve always said we would run. We are done shopping, we will save money. We will volunteer more at our children’s youth activities, in their classrooms, at the homeless shelter. We will finally clean out the garage, our junk drawers, the attic. We will, we will, we will! But the real question is – for how long?
My resolution has been the same for the past three years – I will not make any resolutions. That way I’m not letting myself down when I stop dieting, stop going to the gym, stop training for the marathon, take one box of old junk from the overstuffed garage to goodwill and call it quits. I know, that’s a cop out. But the reality of it is, several years ago I decided to make more “realistic” resolutions, ones I could actually achieve and therefore feel good about myself. Well, I realized in July or August of that year, that I wasn’t really sticking to my resolutions, I was simply enforcing my habits. If something is a habit, you don’t need to remind yourself to do it. Habits are not resolutions.
So what is a resolution? According to Webster’s New Lexicon Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, a resolution is: The quality of not allowing difficulties or opposition to affect one’s purpose. Hmm. Okay. That said, why do people really give up on or forget about their resolutions? My answer – I become lazy. There are no difficulties preventing me from not stuffing that chocolate bar into my mouth, unless it’s a two pounder that I’m trying to eat all in one mouthful. No one prevents me from going to the gym. There is no opposition to me sitting down in the chair and writing 1,000 words a day. So why is it so hard to stick to the resolutions?
It’s psychological. We psych ourselves out about it. We are so overly adamant that we will do heroic things, that endorphines actually race through our body and pumps us up. We feel fantastic! Nothing will deter us. Then along comes January 15th and we slip a little bit, but we make excuses, like we just need a day off. Then February 1st rolls around and we have to think long and hard about what it is we were supposed to be doing better this year. When we can’t remember, the same adrenaline gushes around in our bodies, frantically looking for justification as to why we quit running, dieting, writing. That adrenaline spikes our nervous system to extreme stress levels and now we feel like horrid lazy bums so we might as well just eat what we want in front of the t.v. and be happy.
Hey, I understand. I’m not here to judge. It’s too dark and cold to be running anyway. It’s not safe and we’ll probably catch pneumonia. We can’t let that one lonely slice of chocolate cake go to waste, after all there’s children starving in India. Sure, we maybe didn’t write 1,000 words today, but hey, we sure thought about the plot and character arcs a lot, that counts for something.
Here’s my advice folks. Slow down, breathe. Enjoy the little things along the way. Have dessert once in a while. So you don’t run a marathon, or lose 20 pounds. Are you healthy and happy? Are you spending quality time with your family? Make a resolution to enjoy life a little more this year. Smell the flowers. Savor the flavor of your food. Hug your kids one extra time every day. Don’t stress on the resolutions. If you’re happy, life is good and you don’t need them anyway.
So those are my sage words of advice for this month. Now tell me, do you, or do you not make resolutions? Are they attainable? Do you feel good or bad if you do or do not attain them?
Word of the day: Coarctate
Fun fact about me: I am allergic to salmon.
I always make New Year’s resolutions! I love having a chance to reflect on the past and see how I can improve. I also love the feeling of a clean slate!
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That’s a nice way to look at it, Brenda – a clean slate. I hope you achieve all of your resolutions!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Patricia
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loved this post, Jansen and no I don’t make resolutions. I do set goals, however. That works for me in conjunction with my business plan and love of lists.
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Ah, Louise, a woman after my own heart! I am a list maker as well. I’m lost without my lists. I love the days when everything is scratched off the list.
I hope you achieve all of your goals this year and that you heap large rewards for your persistance!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Patricia
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I am not one to make resolutions because it seems too much like list making. For some reason that never happens either. I do have a lot of ‘stuff’ to toss and things to improve one, but as you say day by day it might happen. If not, maybe tomorrow… 🙂
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Great attitude, Paisley! Some folks make lists (moi) and others don’t. Whatever works.
I hope the new year brings you many more surprises and blessings!
Patricia
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Hi, Jansen,
Great post! My only resolution this year is to take a class on Web building. I have one targeted in Feb.
Like Brenda, I like the feel of a New Year with a clean slate. I do list goals, mostly personal and writing goals. And I only allow myself maximum of 5 each. When I cross those off the list, I start a new list. (I am a list lover!)
Happy, Happy New Year to everyone!
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Yay! Another list lover! Thanks for stopping by today, Diana. I hope your slate is clean again soon so you can accomplish even more wonderful things! Best of luck to you in 2012!
Patricia
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This post is perfect! I think resolutions simply give us an excuse to beat ourselves up over expectations we set that are unrealistic in the first place. Most people do too much already and are way harder on themselves than they need to be. Time to get off that merry-go-round! 🙂
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Excellent observation, Julie! Goal-setting is a good thing, but can be a two-edged sword. You feel bad if you don’t achieve your goals, but awesome when you do. I sometimes wonder when I do meet my goals if maybe I should have set a higher goal. It’s all so confusing. Thus, the non-resolution resolution for me.
Thanks for stopping by this brand new day of a brand new year! Best of luck to you in 2012.
Patricia
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Terrific post! I don’t make resolutions either, but I do make goals. Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. The yearly ones seem to get all discombobulated and come out totally different than what I expect in January. I *love* your picture of the ant and the rock! I can so relate! I’m hoping to see you at the SVR January meeting. Happy New Year!
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Hi Suzanne and thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed searching for pictures for this post. There were so many to choose from. I’m glad there was one that you could relate to. Some days it really feels like that. I usually feel like the eager guy on the tortise, trying anxiously to get somewhere but not really making much progress. Patience does pay off though; like the tortise and the hare. I will cross the finish line – eventually.
Happy new year to you. I hope you reap many positive rewards in 2012!
I will see you at the January meeting. Looking forward to it!
Patricia
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Great post, Patricia!
I try really hard to make attainable goals and I find it easier if I make lists of things to do that work toward those goals. I love lists LOL.
Great site!
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Hi Jo! Another list maker – yay!!
I saw that you have another book out (or soon to be out). Good for you! Keep ’em coming.
Happy new year to you and thanks for stopping by. Hopefully we’ll be seeing you at the SVR meetings this year in our new facility. Looking forward to big things this year!
Patricia
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Is it bad that I am now craving a slice of chocolate cake??
🙂
Happy new year!
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It is not bad to crave the cake, Colleen, just bad to eat it!
No, that’s not even true. Sometimes the best thing to do is eat the cake. It’s better than killing somebody because you need the sugar right? There are worse things.
As long as you’re happy and healthy and living life to your fullest potential, go for it!
Happy new year to you and thanks for spending a few minutes at my blog. Looking forward to much blogging excitement in 2012!
Patricia
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Coarctate? OMG OMG OMG. Where’d you find that?
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Random dictionary selection. Next post will include a “d” word. I’m just working my way through the alaphabet from The New Lexicon Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary.
Did you look it up?
Thanks for stopping by (and reading all the way to the end). Happy new year, Suz!!
Patricia
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, Patricia!
Hope 2012 is a GREAT year for you.
No, I don’t make resolutions any more. I used to, but now I make “Goals and Objectives.” 😉 I also take care to make sure they are within my power to achieve. Oh, and I don’t limit making them to New Years. I like to make a “new start” anytime I feel the need to.
AC
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Good for you Aunty Cindy! Constanting changing goals, I like that! Only after you’ve achieved them of course.
Thanks for stopping by before jetting off to some place exotic! I hope your 2012 is full of much more traveling and many more good books to read.
See you soon!
Patricia
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Great post Patricia! I love Webster’s explanation. I hate resolutions. But then I have a fear of failure phobia. But I’m pushing myself forward, even if it kills me. lol Have a great 2012! 🙂
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Hey Karen, thanks for stopping by. Fear of failure phobia – that’s fun to say. Maybe they have a pill for that.
Onward and upward in 2012! Bigger and better as they say.
Happy new year!
Patricia
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