For most of my life I didn't make new year's resolutions of any kind. My parents never did it so it wasn't something I grew up hearing about and I never got in the habit. Then several years ago -- about 2005, I think -- I met someone who would later become one of the best friends I've ever had. As I got to know him, I learned that he'd had kind of a complicated life but that at a certain point he'd made a decision to turn it around and start over. It so happened that he started his "new life" on a February 1, so in some ways that was like a second birthday for him.
My friend's story inspired me and I decided the time had come to reboot my life too, so I stole his day as well as his story and now every February 1 I reassess my life and make changes as needed. I still don't do new year's resolutions, but I do set goals for myself every year, and I do it on this day.
Those who have been around for a while will know that I normally start with a review of the previous year's goals, checking how well I did at meeting them. I'm skipping that step this year because it's easier just to tell you that I failed miserably. I don't see any point in going into details because the story is the same on every goal: Fail. Fail. Fail.
So let's start fresh, shall we? Here are my goals for 2014:
1. Eat right and get some exercise. I always set this as a goal because it's an easy thing for me to overlook, and for many years I did pretty well at it. The past couple of years, though, I've been terrible. There are reasons for it, but they don't matter. I just need to get back on track. I've already started in some ways, but I want to ramp it up asap. By the end of the year, I'd like to feel as strong and healthy as I did a couple years ago. There's no reason I can't, if I just keep my head in the game. Dance! :-)
2. Be good to the people I care about. I'm terrible at maintaining relationships. I'm ashamed to admit (but I will because it's an excellent illustration of how bad I am) that I've basically lost contact with the person who inspired this yearly re-assessment, and it's entirely my fault. I regret it with all my heart but I've failed repeatedly at that friendship and he's therefore probably better off without me.
I've wondered all my life why it's so hard for me to keep up with people and I've come to realize that I'm only good at maintaining 3-5 close relationships at a time. I've tried to do more and I just can't. Someone always gets left out. And 3-5 would be perfectly fine, but I keep meeting more wonderful people! Unfortunately, every time I meet someone that I like, I seem to make an unconscious choice: Do I relegate this cool person to the sidelines or do I get to know him/her better and risk letting one of the others slip away?
But I know I can do better. There has to be a way, and I intend to find it. So this year is going to be about finding ways to connect and re-connect. I don't think it'll ever be my strong point, but I'll figure out how to show people how much I care about them or I'll die trying. I'm determined.
3. Get my house really, really clean and organized. This probably doesn't sound like a year-long task, particularly because (other than dust, always) my house appears to be pretty clean on the surface. But over the past few years I've completely let the deeper issues go, and that must be remedied. Believe me, there's plenty of work to do and hopefully it will include several trips to the dump and to various charitable organizations, as well as maybe one or more garage sales. By the end of the year I'd like to have a clean, organized, comfortable, and attractive home. It's ambitious, especially considering my work situation, but it can be done.
I'll stop there because I find that three goals is just right. Any less and I get lazy; any more and I don't do all of them. I've set myself some tough but achievable and important goals, and I've shared them with you to keep myself accountable. Feel free to call me on them or ask about them at any time. That's what friends are for!
Did YOU make any goals or resolutions this year? I'd love to hear about them. And if not, was there any particular reason? Do you feel like resolutions are pointless and made to be broken? Have you just never gotten in the habit? Some other reason? Tell me all about it in comments!
As always, thanks for reading and best wishes! <3
