Some Resolutions Just to Say I Have Some

December 26, 2016

I am really not one for making resolutions for the new year. I have always brought myself up on the belief that a new year shouldn’t dictate when I make changes in my life that I want to make. However, every year I try to make a list of running goals for my year so I can look back to see if I have effectively stuck to my desired changes.

I try to avoid any resolutions that have a deadline or quota such as “I will lose 15 pounds this year” or “I will read two books a month every month of this year” or “I will post a blog post at least once a week” because those are discouraging to look back on and see that I failed. Instead I try to go for resolutions that are more open ended, something that encourages the formation of healthy habits. This past year my resolutions (and my reflections) are as followed:

• I will join and commit to a yoga studio: I know this sounds like a deadline thing, but it really wasn’t. I just knew I wanted to do it within the year and the “commit” part was rather open ended. However, I am proud to say that I joined a yoga studio on January 29th, 2016 and from that point forward I attended the studio at least once a week, every week (except weeks when I was out of the state and unable to attend). Most weeks I attended 5-6 days a week.
• I will wake up earlier: I left the definition of “earlier” pretty open ended. For the most part, I woke up around 9/9:30 the latest on most days.
• I will write more often: I feel like I’ve done that to an extent. I wish I had taken the time to write more. I just prefer to write when I am inspired and often, I get inspired at inconvenient times.

In 2017, my resolutions from this year still stand but I have added a few new ones to keep me motivated:

• Take every opportunity to learn about something new: Whether it be learning a new language, cooking a new food, learning about a new culture or practicing a new skill, I want to take every opportunity I can to educate myself about anything and everything I have time for.
• Get in the habit of doing at-home yoga practices: I really want to improve my skills and learn more advanced poses, so at home practices are important for perfecting my basics to move on to fuller extensions of the poses.
• Find a new healthy hobby: I am really interested in testing out Kickboxing, Pilates, Arial Yoga, Acro Yoga, Rock Climbing, Cardio Barre, and Pole Dancing. I also want to get into hiking more when the weather is nice because nature and walks are two of my favorite things.
• Drink more water: This is something I got in the habit of doing early this year, however, I fell out of the habit over the Summer and never got back into it. I am hoping to stay committed to it next year and so on.
• Tidy Up: I need to reduce clutter in my room and life. I feel like I am constantly in a cycle of cleaning and making a new mess. I really need to find a way to break that cycle and keep myself organized while also removing my attachment to things I no longer need so I can get rid of stuff.
• Make healthy choices: When I get stressed, I tend to eat like garbage. I want to get in the habit of meal prepping and when I don’t have the time, I want to learn to make healthier choices on the go.
• Take better care of myself: I go through these periods where I get really put together and my outfits are well thought out and creative, then I get lazy and start repeating outfits because it is easier than trying stuff on. This laziness often carries over to my makeup and my hair and, as previously mentioned, my eating habits. I need to find constant motivation to make healthier choices.

I have other small resolutions like “read more books” (with a self-defined “more”) and “manage my spending better” (essentially, I just want to teach myself to not spend hundreds of dollars on stuff I don’t need and when to spend money on things I do need). But overall, I just want to take the new year as a spring cleaning of the soul. I graduate with my MBA in May which is going to be the largest change to happen in my life in the past four years, so with that I need to learn to readjust and prepare myself to let in the new things coming into my life.

Here’s to a new year…

Jess