As New Years Eve was winding down this year, I thought about making resolutions. Even one resolution. Unfortunatly, I haven't had much sucess with keeping resolutions previously. As I pondered why I have been unable to maintain my resolve every year, I thought about 'The Happiness Project' - a book I recently read for an online book club. I wanted to make ME happy. I decided that I would set some goals for myself instead of resolutions.
For some reason, a goal seems like a worthy aspiration. A resolution seems like a lofty, unattainable dream. I grabbed a mostly unused notebook and made a brief list.
1) eat healthier, exercise more, try new foods
2) declutter one area a week - and I made a list of areas for each week!
3) read more - aim for 2 books a week (this is not unreasonable for me, if I take the time to read)
Then I left space. A few pages to add new goals, should I think of new ones.
I started a new page and wrote Week 1 January 1-7. I have put starting weight, ending weight, books read, area decluttered, and any notes about the week. So far I have done this each week. My family has tried 6 new foods including figs, papaya, and bok choy. I haven't smoked for 42 days - I still don't say that I have quit, I am just not smoking today (or yesterday, or for the past 41 days). Worried that I would gain even more weight, I spoke with a friend and together we joined a weight loss group. I have a huge goal of approximatly 100 pounds to lose, but even if I do not reach that goal, every pound I loose gets me healthier. I would like to loose about 50 pounds by the time I reach 40 in a little over a year. I want to be able to say that I have been a non-smoker for over a year by then also. I want to tidy my home, so I am not embarassed to invite people over - not that my house is dirty, but there is piles of stuff on every surface that look messy. These are my goals for the year.