I am very into holidays, all holidays really. (I love celebrating, what can I say?) I asked my husband a couple days ago, “So have you thought about making any New Year’s Resolutions?” I was disappointed by his reply, “No, I think they’re stupid. People make a commitment to do things and never follow through.”
Now although he was right, generally speaking, it’s not the “resolutions” fault that the aspirer didn’t follow through, that’s a character flaw. I think New Year’s Resolutions are fantastic – they make us think about our aspirations and goals and provide an ambition to achieve them, in which the other 364 days of the year we seem to ignore.
Every year my “resolutions” are the same, and I hope they remain that way for the rest of my life. Become closer to my God; be intentional about serving my husband; continue a healthy lifestyle of fitness; travel some place new.
Now those may sound a little generic, so here’s how I plan to accomplish them:
The ways I “resolve” to draw closer to my God: spend time with Him every morning, make sacrifices for His glory, and love people more deeply.
Being intentional about serving my husband: seek his good above my own, admit it when I’m wrong, speak kindly to him always.
This year I have three new fitness resolutions: run my first half marathon, give morning workouts a fair try, and get into cycling.
New places I’d love to explore in 2012: Alaska, Colorado, and the Philippines.
(Other resolutions: pay off debt, eat more vegetables, make deeper friendships, and be more giving. Loose some pounds, read more novels, save money, and get better at gardening. Serve at the homeless shelter, try new recipes, have more weekend get-aways, and paint on a canvas.)
I am also a list person, mental and physical. So writing things in lists (or in a blog post) helps keep my brain on target. It’s sort of like a personal contract – when I find myself wanting to back out I think, “But Randi, you wrote it down.” (Yes I’m that strange.) An example of this would be my WordPress “Post a Week Challenge,” in which half way through the year I changed to a “52 Postings a Year Challenge.” I can say with pleasure, I kept my commitment! I think I’ll keep that up for 2012.
So friendly readers, I challenge you to put some thought into your aspirations for 2012 and commit to follow through. Nothing feels better than checking things off your list!