January used to be a time for resolutions. And it still is, for some. But to others, resolutions are taboo. We don’t want to make them and we don’t want to break them. We are wary of broad statements that draw attention to our flaws. Making resolutions is scary. It is often too personal and too raw. And too often we simply feel as though we are setting ourselves up for failure. Breaking resolutions is even scarier.
I stopped making resolutions for a while. My ego is frail enough and I did everything I could to avoid bruising it further. When I eased back into the valiant art of new year’s resolutions, I started small and manageable. I resolved to drink more water. It didn’t really call attention to an obvious flaw in my personality but it still encouraged a general sense of healthiness. Plus, it was such a mundane resolution that if I failed to drink my 8 cups a day, it wouldn’t hurt my confidence.
This year, I’m done being scared. I’ve decided to examine myself, pick out some flaws, and resolve to be better. Normally people make their resolutions on January 1st, but I’ve used this past resolution month to really focus on what I wanted to change this year. It is never too late to resolve.
Grow
2012 was a banner year for my blog. I learned to put myself out there and expect good things. I learned to work hard and prioritize it. I don’t know what my ultimate blogging goals are for 2013, but I know I want it to continue growing my blog, increasing my opportunities, and improving my writing.
I’m a notoriously bad email manager. All those unread messages caused me so much stress that I avoided my inbox, which meant I missed even more emails. When the calendar flipped over I decided to begin anew. I archived all old emails and started fresh. In 2013, I resolve to be on top of my email. This means putting aside time each day to read and answer and clearing out my inbox at the end of every week. I’m not doing a great job so far, but I am trying.
Floss
I have a hate/hate relationship with flossing. I hate flossing and I hate going to the dentist when I don’t floss. My mouth simply cannot fit the amount of hands that need to be in it to get between those back teeth. But I am also done with going to the dentist and having my gums and my ego hurt after the beating they both get from the dental hygienist. Plus, did you know that flossing can help you live longer? And I do love my smile. I might not floss daily, but that will be my goal. And hopefully the lovely Alma will notice it next time I go to get my teeth cleaned.
Potty Train Cameron
We are so close to crossing this off the list already. It has been a long time coming.
Sleep Through the Night
This is one of those things that I have already started working on, and the baby is (mostly) sleeping through the night and sharing a room with his brother. Now I just need to start going to bed earlier (That’s not going to happen).
Read
I stopped really reading in the fall of 2012. I let myself get too busy. I’m a reader so this has to change. Ideally I’d like to read two books a month, but I am setting a goal of one. I also started the #MomsReading group to encourage community in this.
Feed My Soul
The only resolution I made at the beginning of 2012 was to read through the Bible, cover to cover. I got as far as the beginning of Proverbs, which seems awesome except I skipped some books before Proverbs by reading chronologically. (This is why people don’t make resolutions). I’m not going to resolve to start all over, but I will finish it.
Eat Veg Eat Local
I see a lot of benefits to the vegetarian lifestyle. Previously, I aimed to make one vegetarian meal a week, but in 2013 I resolve to shift the balance towards vegetarian. I’m not yet ready to give up meat altogether, but would love to move in that direction. And while I’m at it, I really want to focus on eating local. We did this quite well last year with our CSA, but we’ve decided not to renew it as we found that we were creating too much food waste. This means I really need to get my butt to the market as much as possible. Hopefully by getting to the market, I can also grab some local meat to help my carnivorous conscience.
Get Movin’ Get Losin’
I used to be a runner. In fact, I even ran my way to some pretty serious weight loss before getting pregnant with Gavin. But then it got cold and dark and did you know that I live in the city with the second highest murder rate in Canada? Obviously I got fat and lazy because I didn’t want to run at night and get murdered. 2013 will (likely) not be a pregnancy year and so I need to make serious strides towards taking my body back. I will run. I will lose weight. And maybe, I might even hit my super-goal weight by the end of the year. I want to look good in a bathing suit in the summer and I want to rock some races. I’m not going to commit to running a half-marathon in September, but that would be my ultimate dream.
Travel
Travelling is not normally important. Although I would love to travel, it has been on the bottom of my priority list ever since we started growing our kids and shrinking our money. But my fifth wedding anniversary is coming up, and my husband and I have been planning a getaway together ever since our first child was born. This will be it. And I will look good in a bathing suit. And I won’t be pregnant.
Frugality
We’re in debt, y’all. We were digging ourselves out of it until midway through 2011 when tragedy struck our family and we needed to take an unplanned trip. Ever since then, we’ve pretty much been floundering. Recently, my husband suggested that we might get back on track if I took over our finances. This is a big job for someone who really hasn’t had much to do with our finances up until now. I’m not looking forward to any of this. What I am looking forward to is getting out of debt so that we’ll be able to start saving for a down payment on a house.
Simplify
I have a hard time letting go of things for fear that we’ll need it later. Especially when we’re in the middle of trying to live more frugally, I don’t want to get rid of something that we’ll have to buy again. But the truth is, we really need to simplify our lives. We need to create a home out of this little two bedroom apartment. We need to feel like this is a place for a family, not a place for stuff. This is going to be a hard one for me. I have no goal, just a resolution to do better.
Contentment
I have a great life, but often I wish for more. This year is a year where I will appreciate what I have and learn to make it great. If I can get a good grasp of contentment, I might be able to get a handle on our finances and our clutter too.
Did you make resolutions for 2013? What are they? How are they going?
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