I have never been big on New Year’s resolutions. In my mind, if I have something I think I should change about myself why wait until January 1 – no time like the present. With New Year’s resolutions there is too much build up, which becomes too much pressure and then subsequently too overwhelming and then I just throw in the towel. That is why I think it is always best to start something new on a random day, like starting your better eating habits on a Thursday. Or like I did, start going to the gym on December 29th 2009, it was brilliant in theory but very poorly executed since I stopped sometime in January. Which is how I have found myself resolving to start going again next Tuesday with all of the tourists, so I guess I lied, I do make New Year’s resolutions. But I’ve had the same resolution every year for the past 10-15 years- go to the gym more often. I even tried last year to change the resolution to be more goal specific – to do 10 pull-ups in a row and work on my double-unders (jump rope). Well it turns out that goal was a bit lofty and I didn’t even come close- I got one pull-up which was actually very exciting for me, at some point over the year I think I managed 3, but it was never to be repeated, I was just having a good day I guess. Anyhow, I’m struggling with how to tweak the resolution to make it something that I would and could actually do.
The other resolution that I’ve had since I was little was to be a better person, pretty weak eh? It was designed with the best of intentions since I can remember having this resolution when I was 8 years old. It is perfect really, you can’t fail, unless you’re just horrible to begin with but then anything positive would be an improvement. It isn’t measurable so you aren’t going to know whether you’ve succeeded or not but at the end of the day who couldn’t try to be a little bit better over the course of the year. So I stick with it year after year.
Regardless of resolutions, there is something refreshing about the New Year and a feeling of being hopeful comes along with it. Anything bad that happened in the previous year can be put in a little box and stored away. Times will be better in the next coming months and I can’t wait to see what is in store.
Here’s to a Happy and Healthy 2011!
