This will probably sound ridiculous, but I have to say that New Year's is pretty much my favorite holiday. No, not New Year's eve, with the drinking and horn blowing and random kissing-I almost always work on NYE and kind of see it as amatuer night. Maybe because I don't need an excuse to drink champagne, blow kazoos and kiss randomly (random kisses to my boyfriend of course!)
My favorite holiday is New Year's DAY. That first day of a crisp, shiny new year that stretches before me and provides an endless array of possibility. THIS will be MY year! The year I get a zillion dollar screenplay deal, the year I can suddenly eat whatever I want while sporting rock-hard abs and size two jeans, the year I travel to India and the year I spend tons of quality, educational time with my children!
So none of those things usually happen, but I love the magic of a brand new year. I do make resolutions, and I have managed to stick to at least some of them in years past. I think self-improvement is always a good thing (yes, yes we are all perfect just the way we are...) and I think personal growth and development can be obtained, at least on some level, with a few good (keepable) resolutions. I'd like to share my own resolution tactics, and maybe you will want to try it too!
I like to start with categories of my life that I want to work on. This year it is fitness (like every year), family, spirituality and creativity.
The trick to making resolutions you can keep is making them real, and making them specific. Rather than, "I will lose weight" or even "I will lose 20 pounds" try something that is more narrow. My fitness New Year's resolution is to complete three half marathons. I've run half-marathons before so I know its something I can do. And I figure when I am training to run a half-marathon, being more fit (ie; losing a few lbs) is sure to go along with it. Making a goal of three over the course of the year guarantees I will not slack off too much from my workout regime.
My second resolution is to read 3-5 books a month. I've always been an avid reader, but over the last year or two I've noticed I don't read as much as I used to. I come home from work and want to veg in front of the tv, mess with my iphone, or go online. Now, I could've just said "No more social media" or "No more television". But I don't think that is a very realistic goal for me. Too much of my freelance work is tied up in social media, and I'm not afraid to admit that I like tv! But by vowing to read more books, less social media is bound to happen too. If I'm reading more, I'm facebooking, instagramming, tweeting less. If I'm reading more, I'm watching less tv. Reading also helps inspire me to write more-the more I read, the more I write, which means I may get more freelance work or finally write a screenplay that someone will buy! A lot of potentially excellent results, all from resolving to read more.
The resolution I made to enhance my spirituality is to do one random act of kindness per month. I don't even know what the act will be-it can be anything. It might be as big as volunteering one day at the women's shelter, or as small as offering a friendly voice and a smile to someone who seems down. The point of it isn't a big grandiose gesture or big plans that I am not likely to follow through on. The point is to actively seek out moments when I might be able to accomplish my goal, and in the course of doing so, become more aware that there is more to this world than just me and my own problems.
"Spend more time with family" is another common resolution that people make. Again, it's too vague to follow through on long term. This year, I decided to plan something each month with myself and my two children. What that might be, I don't know. Maybe just dinner out. Maybe something more exotic like a ski trip or a day at the museum. Maybe just a walk in the park or hanging out and playing parcheesi. It doesn't matter. What matters is I am making myself more conscious of the importance of bringing family together. Which may, over this year-long quest, create a situation in which more family members will be around and we can ALL spend time together.
My final resolution is one of creativity. I have found that being creative breeds more creativity, not only workwise but in expanding my mind overall. So for this one, I told myself I would create one piece of art each month. Will it be a painting? A craft project? Scultpure? Poetry? Short story? It doesn't matter. The joy I get from creativity sets my mind alight with a million other ideas, opens me up to new things and gives me a deep sense of satisfaction.
I may not be able to keep all of these resolutions, but I will definitely make an effort. Even if I only get through a few months with some of them, resolving to improve, grow and learn as a person is never a bad idea.
The year is fresh, new and clean. A big blanket of snow across the ground, untouched and just waiting for YOUR footprints. Make those footprints deep and true. Make them count.
Happy New Year.
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