Resolutions

It seems that everyone has a different opinion about New Year's Resolutions. Some make them, some don't, some think they're a waste of time, some take them ultra-seriously.

I confess that I do make resolutions with the beginning of each new year, and here's why they work for this girl.

For me, making resolutions is a way to sit back and gain a little perspective on my life and daily habits {good or bad}. I am a big believer that one should always be working towards bettering oneself in as many ways as possible {as I'm sure most others are}, and resolutions are what I have found to help me map out my yearly goals and work towards them.

Now, I'm not too hard on myself when I make resolutions, and I certainly don't let myself make unrealistic ones. But here's the thing--I write down these resolutions with the full expectation that I will "break" each and every one of them. They're not really "rules" for myself anyway {like saying "no more fast food"} but rather long-distance goals that I am working towards.

I write down resolutions that I can work towards during the course of the year, knowing that at times, I will do very poorly, but I give myself permission to be not-perfect. {Which is HUGE for me--Hello! I'm a total perfectionist!} That way, when I feel I have failed in one area or another, I don't feel like giving up on it entirely. I just decide to move on and keep working towards that goal.

As I sit down to write out my fresh resolutions, I always refer back to the ones I made the previous year. It's a great feeling to look at some of the ways I wanted to improve myself in 2011 and realize that I did make significant progress. I may not be at the exact place I want to be in certain areas, but progress feels good, and it encourages me to continue. I also find it helpful to read over my resolutions every month or so, to refresh my memory and see the areas where I'm needing to work harder.

There are certain resolutions that I believe will always show up on my list each year. For example: drinking more water. Although I know I did discipline myself to drink more water in 2011, I know I'm still not drinking anywhere close to the amount one should. Or there's pop-drinking. I've always been a huge pop drinker {one reason I don't consume enough water}, and I'm proud of myself because towards the end of 2011, I forced myself to switch to diet pop only. {That's big for me because I have always detested diet pop}. I am fully aware that diet pop isn't "healthy", but at least it has lessened my caloric-intake. I am working towards the goal that one day, I will drink very little to no pop at all; so you can see...little by little.

My 2012 resolutions include such things as keeping better contact with friends from my past, taking Annabelle on more walks, taking better care of my skin and nails, journaling more often, and trying more adventurous things in the kitchen. Since my goals also include things like eating more fruits/veggies, drinking more water, and exercising more often {working towards an overall healthier me}, you won't find "lose 25 pounds" on my list, nor things like "no more carbs." I believe that working on my positive goals will help me eliminate my negative habits or areas where I tend to be "bad." {like, ahem, chocolate consumption}

Because I have the desire to always be working on myself in some way, to be a better person and live a life worthy of calling myself "Daughter to the King," I know I will make progress in these areas in 2012. But I also know that at some point, I'm going to realize that, Wow, I haven't worked out in a week or two, I haven't been drinking much water, I haven't touched my journal in forever, and my nail beds are a wreck. And I won't beat myself up over it. I'll forgive myself, allowing me to move on and keep taking the small steps towards a better me.

What are your thoughts on resolutions? Have you made any for 2012?