Resolutions
Okay, it’s a brand-new year. Time to dust off those resolutions, and try to keep them this time. Did you know most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by February?
Yup, I’m one of the 45 percent of people who statistics say set resolutions.
Most of us have similar goals, too. To eat healthier. Exercise more. Yeah, I want to drop some weight. But I also want to try more recipes. I want to learn to make a great white wine sauce. Being southern, I’ve mastered gravy, but haven’t really mastered sauces. Yes, I know this goal is kind of counterproductive to the losing weight goal, but I’m trying to look at my diet as a life change and I know I can’t stop eating everything that tastes good. So if I only splurge in moderation, learn some healthier recipes as well, and exercise more, maybe these two goals can go hand in hand.
New Year’s Resolutions, list of items
I also want to be more productive with my time. Yeah, I’m guilty of playing SpiderSolitaire . But I also know it’s not always a procrastination technique. It’s like my down time. Time to let my mind rest and restart my creative energy. So I’m not going to stop, but I need to find the balance. I’m going to start using my day planner again. Manage my time better. Do any of you use a day planner?
But I still have a few more goals. Last year, after the hurricane, hubby and I were out eating and my hubby said, “Have you noticed, how nice everyone is to each other? They are patient, they say hello to strangers. No one seems to lose their patience. You know, I think a good New Year’s resolution would be to treat people everyday like we just had a hurricane.” So yeah, I’m going to borrow my hubby’s idea and just try to be kinder to strangers.
I did some checking and according to Huffington Post, only 8 percent of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions. Why do we fail? Well, according to the articles, there are many reasons people can’t stick to their resolutions, from setting too many of them to getting derailed by small failures. Even setting overly ambitious and restrictive goals.
When we think about all the times we didn’t meet those resolutions, it’s easy to understand why some people don’t follow this tradition anymore. But call me an eternal optimist, every year I make them. And frankly, some of them have stuck. Two years ago, my goal was to take more “me” time, to find ways to deal with stress. Since then I’ve been hitting the hot tub three times as much, and I now go for regular massages.
Are you part of the 45% that make resolutions? What are yours?
Wishing you a happy, healthy and productive 2018.
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I think it is good to set resolutions. I made some with my best friend and we wrote them down, which is supposed to help to reach them. I decided that ten goals were good to make, although there is a bunch of stuff I want to do. I didn’t want to make too many. My goals include traveling more, getting out more in general, making new connections, and practicing my Spanish. Dieting was not a goal, but exercising is because its something I enjoy and would like to do more. The others are school related. I think a key to keeping the resolutions is to make a few that can be completed at different times throughout the year. At least that’s what I’m hoping! 🙂
It's good to set resolutions for each new year... even if we sometimes don't follow through completely. Each year I find myself setting goals that I want to accomplish, though I try to pull back before I feel overwhelmed. This year, I plan to keep up with tracking my calories (as I started end of last May) and incorporate veggies into at least 3 days' meals per week. I also plan to continue being active for 30-60 minutes per day (as I also started end of last May). The biggest one for me is a writing resolution: to write for at least 20 minutes per day whether it's a story or journal entry. I've fallen off the wayside with my writing, and I'm hoping that my birthday gift (a refurbished writing desk from my folks) will assist in that. :) Lots of luck in maintaining your resolutions, C.C.!
