What New Years Resolutions?

I am a procrastinator. The very fact that I am just now, a mere 24 days into the new year, talking about new years' resolutions, testifies to that. Or take the fact that I waited a whole year after last year's resolutions before writing another blog post.

The fact is, I always struggle with my new year's resolutions. I guess we all do, to some extent - we're only human. But this year was really tricky. I know that, no matter how grandly I scheme and what momentous plans I come up with, in the end they will all fall short. I will fall short. I know that I won't go to the gym every day or blog every day. It sometimes amazes me that I even go to work every day.

And herein lies my predicament. I know the areas of my life that I want to improve. I even have some ideas of how to improve them. But improvement takes work, and I'm not always so great at doing things. I'm a lot better at thinking about what I want to do.

So my number one resolution for 2012 is ... to not make any resolutions. I know myself too well to fib about what I'm going to do. Instead, I am setting goals for myself, and figuring out the steps to get from where I am to where I want to be.

I've divided my personal goals into 4 categories: body, soul, spirit, and mind.

Body:
I remember when I used to feel pretty good about my body. I was walking a lot, eating better, even working out occasionally. And now I have a desk job, I drive to work, have an unused gym membership, and have successfully gained my freshman 15. In order to feel better about my body, I want to not only lose a few pounds/inches, but simply take better care of it. A few ways I can do this include:

-Limiting the number of times I eat out, and taking half of it home.
-Eating healthier meals at home (especially more vegetables!)
-Making one big meal at the beginning of the week, and portioning out leftovers for the rest of the week (portion control)
-Going to bed earlier
-Waking up earlier
-Running in the morning
-Walking during my lunch hour
-Doing fun workouts during the week
-Spending time to pamper myself once in a while - getting a massage, going to a spa, buying that hair or skin product that I've always thought about but never tried
-Getting up early enough to spend time on my appearance in the morning

Soul:
I finally started reading my Bible consistently a few years ago. Sadly, I still feel that my relationship with God and fellow Christians is lacking. In order to feel better about my relationship with God, I want to be involved in things that help me grow spiritually. A few ways I can do this include:

-Going to church every Sunday
-Getting involved in the church in some way
-Spending concentrated time in prayer each day
-Continuing to read my Bible every day
-Volunteering more often
-Internalizing what I read
-Having a "retreat" weekend, spending a significant amount of time alone with God

Spirit:
In the past few years, I feel like I've gotten angrier and more impatient. I don't like feeling that way. I don't know if that's a result of fighting with Tucson traffic, or dealing with stupid people, or simply having to share my room with someone. Perhaps I've always been this way, but used to be better at hiding or ignoring negative feelings. Or perhaps I'm just getting old and cynical. In order to improve my mood and feel better emotionally, I want to spend more time doing things that make me happy. I want to pay more attention to the positive than the negative. A few ways I can do this include:

-Spending time each day relaxing
-Volunteering more often
-Eating new foods at new restaurants
-Spending more time with my husband
-Planning trips I want to take
-Taking a trip to a place I've never been
-Dreaming big
-Listening to music I enjoy
-Writing down the things I enjoy
-Not taking things too seriously
-Avoiding things or doing things that make me unhappy
-Remembering I'm human too

Mind:
I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I am not stupid. Unfortunately, I am not articulate or very well-read, so I often sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. In order to feel better intellectually, I want to spend time learning new things. A few ways I can do this include:

-Reading a few new books each month
-Checking the news each day
-Learning a new word each day - and use it!
-Writing down the things I learn
-Learning a new language
-Blogging once a week
-Keeping a journal
-Taking a class in something that interests me

Am I going to do all of the things I just mentioned this year? Probably not. But it's a place to start. And for someone like me, who, like a freight train, needs all kinds of push to get going, but can't be stopped once it starts, having a place to start makes all the difference. Even if that starting point is a month into the year.