It’s the beginning of the year and there is that one task that is looming over all of us: the tradition of the new year’s resolution. Most of us set out in the new year saying we will go to the gym more and eat better. But do we really stick to it? Are we setting ourselves up for failure? Is this just another way for us to feel pressure from the outside world to do something we can’t accomplish?
Fun statistics about new year’s resolutions from a survey taken by Forbes Magazine:
- 62% of people feel pressured to set a new year’s resolution with women feeling more pressured than men.
- The top resolution is improved fitness.
- Only 20% of those surveyed said they kept themselves accountable.
- Most people’s new year’s resolutions are abandoned within 2-3 months.
My new year’s rebrand
I think instead of a traditional “new year’s resolution,” I am going to call it a “new year’s intention” as this seems to have a lot less of a rigid meaning. Even by definition, a resolution is a firm decision while an intention is an aim or a goal. I know the idea is for this to be a set-in-stone quest that will come to an end at the end of the year, but we all begin the year not knowing what the next 365 days hold.
If I have learned one thing in my journey as a mom to a son with special needs, it’s that you cannot predict the future. I don’t know what curveballs might be thrown my way and if I am stuck in a glass box of my resolution, those curveballs are going to shatter it. Life is full of ups and downs, so our goals have to be able to rock with us. So I want to be INTENTIONAL with my goal.
So what is my goal?
I have set a very vague intention of living the best and healthy life I can. So I will start each day with the goal to be intentional in all my actions. Already this year, I have been walking on my treadmill in the evenings followed by a very small laid back weight routine. This is a double bonus for me because daddy gets to be on son duty. After the school and therapy routines, dinner and clean up, a moment to myself is already a reward.
My husband and I have also become a lot more intentional with what we are eating. We rarely eat out or have fast food, and have come to truly enjoy cooking our own food at home. I have semi-mastered my sourdough and love that I can have homemade bread with minimal ingredients. It took a while, but my husband and I can now share the kitchen and cook together with minimal frustration. Speaking of my husband, I have made it a goal to be more intentional about my time with him. We are parents of a medically complex child. As wonderful as he is, by default he takes a lot of attention. As his primary caregiver, my son and I are side by side most of the time and that often leaves my husband left out. He works very hard to make sure I can stay home and care for our son, but that leaves my husband getting the last bit of energy I have in the shape of minimal attention. Doing things like cooking dinner TOGETHER has become something I really enjoy.
My advice and encouragement 
As I said before and will say over and over, life is always willing to throw things at us that can knock us off course. I don’t know anyone that is immune to that, and if you are, please tell me your secret! Don’t let these things completely derail you. Everyone is entitled to have feelings, and please let yourself feel! But don’t let yourself sit in the hardships for too long. Find something you enjoy that can help you reach your intention for the year. I truly hated going to the gym. I don’t know why, but I really love being able to go in the other room for my little mini workouts. Actually enjoying it makes me want to stick with it all the more. If you find yourself not sticking to your goal, it is not the end of the world! You can start again! No where is it written that you can’t fall a little behind and not pick back up, so don’t let that stop you.
