January always feels like a reset, a blank planner filled with days to be filled with activities and memories. I am a resolution gal, or more like a yearly goal setter. Sometimes I focus one on goal {run a half marathon} and sometimes I set several goals {like cook more — failed miserably by the way, read more…etc.}. Every year, I come across posts declaring “New Year, New Me!” and then I roll my eyes. Those posts almost always revolve around losing weight and getting healthy, followed by a fun “Hey Girl!” message about how you too can join this fun program to get YOUR life back on track.
Um, no thanks.
But this year caught me off guard. After the last two years of isolation, sitting at home, and doordashing meals, I realized I do want a “new me” and this will be a year of several, hopefully attainable goals.
I am going to say YES to:
More girls’ nights
More date nights
Hosting more gatherings
Reading more books and less Facebook {the latter probably won’t happen, but we can dream big, right?}
Trying new things {if you haven’t tried a menstrual cup, this is your year!}
Making more phone calls and sending fewer texts
More one-on-one dates with my kids
Changing my hair color
Focusing on creative adventures I’ve talked about for years
Supporting more local businesses
And finally, making myself happy.
It’s easy to fall into a funk. Did you know that most new rear resolutions fizzle out within the first 36 days? Diets don’t last, activity level plummets, or we just give up. But here’s the thing: if you want it, do it. As Robin Arzon says, “This isn’t a dress rehearsal; this one life is all you get.”
Make yourself proud. Make yourself happy. Focus on the things that you love, cut out the things you don’t. Make little changes over the next 11 and a half months that when the calendar hits January 1, 2023, you can look back and say, “I did it.” Maybe you didn’t lose 50 pounds, but what if you lost 10? Maybe you didn’t run a marathon, but what if you run ten 5ks? Maybe you didn’t finish one book, but you spent more time with your family?
Maybe I don’t get a book published, but what if I get it started? Maybe I still spend hours on Facebook, but what if I connect with an old friend or make a new friend? What if I don’t PR a half marathon, but I attempt a full? You never know what one goal might turn into.
The blank days ahead will quickly get filled. I am going to try my best to make them count. And maybe a new me isn’t such a bad thing?
