One of the nice things about maintaining the same blog for several years is that you build up an archive of posts, and if you tag things well like I do, it's pretty easy to find old ones.
Like my New Years Resolutions from 2010, 2011, and 2012.
In 2010, I wanted to:
1. Become a 5K runner
2. Get back into size 10
3. Go paperless
4. A new unidentified self-improvement project
In 2011, I vowed to:
1. Get healthy
2. Get my literal house in order
3. Keep evolving Low Fat Dressing
In 2012, I didn't make any resolutions.
Interestingly, the year I didn't make any is the year I actually completed some of the ones from previous years; the office and all the piles of paper were finally cleaned up and overhauled (as were all the clothes in the office, basement and bedroom), and all the mechanical work was completed too -- new garbage disposal (and pipes, ugh), new water heater, and the shower got regrouted. Plus we painted and redecorated the living room.
Okay, so maybe 2012 was just the year of home improvements. So glad we finally got them done!
Interestingly, I made this year's list before I started looking back at previous years, and I am seeing a startling difference: the resolutions I have this year are more specific. They're goals more so than vague proclamations; maybe doing it this way will make them more successful? We shall see!
2013 Resolutions:
1. Lose 9 pounds (i.e. do not be the weight you are now).
My doctor gave me this one last year, and I didn't listen to her. I said with my mouth, "I'm going to lose just 9 pounds", but my heart really said, "But really it will be 50! Just by magic!" Of course that didn't work. Despite several attempts, I am still at the same damned weight I was last January. This year I am going to keep chipping away, but I am simply aiming for the nine pounds she recommended.
2. Donate to the Northfield Food Pantry more regularly.
I give to charities whenever someone has a fundraiser, but the bulk of my charitable giving is to my local food pantry. I live in a well-to-do town, and the number of families who depend on the food pantry has doubled in the last few years, from 300 to 700. That appalls me. So I am going to set up a monthly or quarterly donation schedule to give actual money, and I will start buying an extra bag of beans, rice, peanut butter, cereal, etc to bring in more often too. I have a couple of bags on my counter to bring in today -- they sent out an email saying they were low on those key items. I picked some up cheap at Tonys this weekend.
3. Keep editing closet and tracking purchases.
This is a terrific habit I am glad I picked up from Lorena. I did buy more this month, but I edited out more too. (Post coming this weekend!)
4. Blog more consistently.
I am looking at a schedule of one weekend day, Tuesday and either Wed/ Thur.
5. Continue home cooking.
Hubby and I are getting better every week at making do with whatever I have available at home instead of ordering out as much. These last few weeks we've been eating baked potatoes for dinner once a week-- I put cheese on mine, he has been using up some chili I had frozen from this fall. We have been loving them!
6. Take one selfish, week-long vacation.
Last summer's trip to New Buffalo was the high point of my entire year. We tend to use our vacation time for family trips, but I think we need one "for ourselves" again. Most importantly, it has to be a full week; we are masters at long weekends but that isn't enough of a break. We both went back to work fully refreshed for once. I want that again.
7. Don't waste "emotional energy."
This article resonated with me when I read it over the holidays; I've been very stressed and anxious the last few months over work and other yucky issues, and I realize that a lot of that is because I keep getting wound up over the same problems over and over, rehashing conversations in my head and not letting things go. Then I get home and am exhausted and crabby and indulge myself too much. When I think about it terms of emotional energy, it's easier for me to let it go; I need to keep my emotional bank better stocked, so I am better able to handle other stresses or to move forward on the positive things I want to do for myself, like eat better, drink less, etc.
8. Develop budget.
We're DINKS so I have been able the last few years to coast along without a definite money budget. I pay all our bills on time, our 401ks get the max amounts every year, and we have several savings accounts that have scheduled deposits set up for (like our Christmas account, car/home repair, and general savings), but I haven't actually done a budget in quite some time. I need to do that, and thus figure out where money is being wasted. I bet we can save a lot more if we try.
I have a few other goals that I am not ready to talk about here but definitely are my to-do list for 2013. I will let you guys know when they come true!
Did you make any resolutions this year? Were any of yours as sweet and earnest as Woody Guthrie's?
Wonderful resolutions. You can do it Kristen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the vote of confidence!
DeleteI always enjoy your thinky thoughts. :) I like that your goals are specific this year. I'm not tied to the new year to make goals - and I've committed to a few long-term things over the past year: doing my year-long challenge, changing my shopping habits, saving more money.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Kirsten! I'm proud to have been reading your blog nearly from the beginning!
I like the "thinky thoughts" tag myself. :)
DeleteYour challenge has really convinced me of the ability to make do with fewer clothes; it's always amazing to me to realize how many you would wear a specific item, because I didn't notice over the course of the month that it was getting re-worn as many times as it was. And you have VERY distinctive pieces, which is what sealed the argument for me. :)
I'm very glad you've been reading my blog all this time too!
Great resolutions, you can do it! Not sure but I think you once mentioned you read zen habits blog? Well I've decided to try out 52 changes, I think changing my life at a slower pace might stick better. We'll see, good luck!
ReplyDeleteOooh, interesting! I did follow the Zen Habits blog, but I don't remember seeing it in my reader for a while. I am going to have to check out the 52 changes idea!
DeleteNo resolutions for me, but I do have some aspirations, which I blogged about today.
ReplyDeleteBUT I LOVE YOURS. Every single one is just good and achievable. What I might love even more is the fact that the year you did not set any, you met many. Maybe there doesn't have to be an expiration date for resolutions?
I saw your aspirations, and I LOVE them. Especially the one about eating at the table. I might have to add that to my list.
DeleteHa, no expiration date for resolutions! So true -- we want them to be long-term things anyways, don't we? So if it takes a few years to get it done, then it seems a-okay to me. I really like that idea, thank you.
9 pounds seems much more attainable than 50, so maybe it's better to start there? I think the continued home cooking should help with that too - we totally stopped eating out/ordering out for a few months last winter, and that's one thing that really helped jump start my weight loss, because I was able to control exactly what and how much I was eating.
ReplyDeleteThe one about not wasting emotional energy is really great too. I have that problem way too often. Like, I just used the entire dogwalk this morning to complain about something that I really shouldn't care about, much less be upset about. Aargh!
Good luck with your goals this year!
Those seem like pretty good resolutions to me. I'm all for vacations!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to fufill my resolution this weekend by taking my Christmas tree down and putting the decorations away in a manner that will make finding them next year easier. After that I'm done :)