As I said a couple of days ago, I really like New Years Resolutions, and I usually do pretty good sticking to them. I don't make them every year, just when I want and am ready to change. I am ready to change again this year, so here are my resolutions.
1. To become a 5K runner. I already talked about it at length the other day, but I will be running 5Ks whenever I can. I'll be Googling this weekend to find some cool future events to run at; for sure I want to do a St. Patrick's one. Chicago knows how to celebrate that holiday!
2. To get back into my 10s. To me, this means losing the rest of this weight, then embarking on learning how to maintain my weight. I was thinking the other day about how AA gives 90-day chips and other milestone markers for people who stop drinking, and how people who lose weight could use a similar celebration tool. We cheer and mark milestones as we lose weight, but once that part is done you're on your own. I am considering doing a 30-day AT GOAL award of some kind, then 60-day, 90-day, etc. And I would like to have earned a couple of those at least by the time 2011 rolls around.
This is me in my 10s. And my glowing summer tan, and everyone's favorite purple sweater. :)
I'd also like to do more of these type of posts. Good food is fun to eat!
3. Go paperless. I am not a saver or a pack rat; I frequently go through old boxes, old clothes, even my computer files and throw out what is no longer needed. I winnow down books, movies, Christmas ornaments, you name it, nothing is safe from me when I am in organization mode. That said, I am TERRIBLE about keeping up with paperwork, projects and printed photos. My side of our shared office has piles of paper I need to sort through, and there are 4 boxes of photos I have yet to unpack from our move here six years ago. And I am the Family Project Manager in our house; all financial decisions, home improvement projects, family planning events and vacations, all gets done by me. I've got a LOT of paper, and much of it is important.
I did make a big dent last year in it; I had a huge filing cabinet with old bank statements, tax returns, etc that I sorted through and cleaned out, narrowing it down to one drawer in my desk instead of the whole cabinet. But I didn't finish: there is still a huge pile of paper that needs to be shredded, I've let more paper pile up on top since then, and I didn't even attempt to tackle the photos. This year, that will get done. My husband would be delighted to have the office back, I am sure!
4. A New Self-Improvement Project, this time for my brain not my body. I'm thinking about going back to school this year, perhaps for process engineering or some other degree I can use at work. I don't really want an MBA, but I'm not sure what to get. That's part of the project: investigating options and dreaming about what I want next. It's time to do something else, and I'm giving myself the push to try to learn what that is.
It's funny how self-improvement seems to go in cycles for me, and one type of improvement usually spawns another. Five years ago, I quit a 20-year smoking habit. As a way to clean out my lungs and give my mind and hands something to do, I started riding my bike around my local lake after work. For the first time, I noticed all these beautiful wildflowers along the shoreline, and I wanted to identify them. So I brought my then little-used camera along, and when I got home I would download the photos and look them up online and in books and find their names. From there I started taking more photos, traveling around the state to various state parks, and learning more about the nature of the Midwest plains and about photography. I'm a pretty good hobby photographer now; my photos have been used in various Chicago websites, I have a blog for it which I've let lapse a bit, and I always make a family calendar of photos I've taken through the year.
I also turned that bike-riding into a triathlon that I competed in the next year (and then never again, LOL), and I've stayed quit as a smoker since then too. The last couple of years, my self-improvement project has been body-related: I've learned about fashion and dressing myself (I was HORRIBLE before, just ask Shopping Friend!), and last year started the weight-loss kickoff. I've had a great time with this, but it may be time for something new. Hence the idea about going back to school.
I'll be honest, of all the resolutions this one might not turn into anything. And that'll be okay, because when I am ready to do it, I will.
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So those are my plans and promises to myself for this year. Now I am going to give myself a nice New Year's treat and spend the day on the recliner catching up with ATWT and all your blogs. My tabs and my Tivo runneth over! There have already been some great Resolution posts; things I have pondered as I put together my resolution list.
Cranky Fitness talks about resolutions as Gifts. I like that lot. She also challenges us all to one particular resolution: get a bra fitting. Truth be told, I am due for one of those myself! The weight came back to my boobs, too. ;-D
What a Splurge looked at the habits she formed over the last year. I LOVE this one, and I might do another post today with mine, and my 10 favorites outfits/new items of 2009.
Unclutterer (one of my favorite organizational, motivational blogs of all time!) invites us to brainstorm and stretch ourselves with our resolutions, then puts together a staggered three-month plan for the year to achieve her goals.
Pasta Queen has a great list, including a secret resolution. How mysterious!
Zen Habits offers the Definitive Guide to Sticking to your New Year's Resolution.
Happy Reading!
Wow, you have such ambitious goals! I admire your drive and hope you accomplish them! My "official" resolution is to read an hour a day, but I also need to get back into doing more exercise (maybe a new class this year), and staying on track with WW. I got a 1 year key this year, but you are so right: they need to comemmorate smaller milestones when you're maintaining. It's so much easier to lose it!
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! You are an inspiration to all of us trying to maintain...or lose those few pounds that have crept up on us. Thanks for sharing on your blog, I adore your outfit posts and look forward to seeing more in 2010!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wise, balanced list of resolutions. I especially think that's a great idea to track your maintenance of weight loss in addition to losing weight that has crept back on.
ReplyDelete(I am also going to make weight loss a priority. December had *so* many food-centric events going on that I knew I would not lose any weight, so I may as well start today. Because I tend to gain and lose pretty evenly throughout my body, my clothing size probably won't change when I get back down to the weight I want to be at - even my bra size stays pretty consistent - but my clothes will fit better and I know I'll feel a lot better, too.)
Anyway, I also wanted to say that I love your idea of thinking about a self-improvement project - even if it's working towards something big, like an additional degree, that you may not finish all in one year, you're making positive, hopeful steps that will keep your drive going.
(I'm actually doing something similar starting this week - not an additional degree, but I'm starting courses at a community college for a certificate program related to my current job. The company is paying for the tuition, but I'm still very excited to learn more about my field.)
Please keep sharing how you are doing with your resolutions and let us know if there is something we can do to help keep you on track!