New Year Cheer

Like many of us, I am trying to stick to New Year Resolutions.  My resolutions don't stray too much from year to year (they typically involve doing my best in fitness, school, spending more time with family, and being a better human being in general).  Rather than getting off track during the year, I do my best to make sure every now and then that I'm keeping up with my goals.  Although, I added a new goal to the list: to do my darndest to eliminate procrastination (which is why I finally went to a Pure Barre class after buying a deal from livingsocial.com months ago ;) see here for Pure Barre post). So instead of starting all my resolutions from scratch, the New Year essentially acts as a "keep it up" check-in moment that has to be mandatorily put into place at midnight on January 1st of each year because, ya know, everyone else is doing it, too.  (Sure, sure peer pressure is a powerful thing.  If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it?  In my case, yes.  But it wasn't a bridge, it was a lighthouse.  Picture to follow).  I'm joking of course about peer pressure (but definitely not about the lighthouse.  That totally happened.  And I was totally eleven-years-old).

But I digress...

I enjoy this time of year whether I've kept my resolutions or not.  It's sort of like going back to work on Monday after a long weekend or walking in to the first day of school because it's a chance to make sure you're doing your best and I like that.  I'm sure everyone setting resolutions does, too!  No matter what your goals may be this year, do your best to make them habitual.  By doing so, not only will you achieve the goals you set, but by next January you won't need to add that same goal to your resolution list because it will already be a part of your life.  They say it takes 30 days to make an action habitual and there are 31 days in January .  That means you will already have your goal be a regular part of your life before the month even finishes!  Then you're all set for 2012 and for life, right? :)  If you didn't keep last years resolutions, now is the time to reassess your goals and tackle them.  If you did keep your resolutions, then keep on going!  

So be positive and realistic about your goals.  For example, if your goal is fitness, don't start by running a marathon.  Start by walking, then jogging, then running.  And have fun with it!  You are probably thinking that this goal will ultimately be pleasant in your life, so enjoy the process of getting there!  Have New Year Cheer, not New Year Fear.

Best of luck, everyone!  And let me know your New Year resolutions.  Have a blast!

As promised, a picture of jumping off the lighthouse.  That would be my brother in mid-air while my cousin and I were in the water...seconds before the Coast Guard came ;)