I have mixed feelings about New Year’s resolutions. In theory I want to make them. In practice, well, I think I’m just plain scared to. Whenever I start drafting goals in my head, I feel like I’m setting myself up for failure.
Despite my resolution wishy-washiness, I do think a LOT about my “resolutions” every year, ponder on the myriad of ways in which I could improve myself. Trust me, it’s an oversized myriad. 
And while I am yet again afraid to pull the trigger and make any specific goals, I do have a few things I want to work on.
DE-STRESS. I’m not sure yet how to do this. But I know I need to.
EXERCISE. Yup, the ultimate resolution cliché. I’m thinking of getting back into yoga. I love it. I feel good when I do it. And it will invariably help with the de-stress goal.
WAKE UP! This involves going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, being less tired!!!
Do you make resolutions? How do you make them? Any sure-fire success tactics you can share?
Oh…and since this IS a meal planning website…I challenge you all to make meal planning one of YOUR resolutions this year. Click here for a few posts about why it’s so great. Seriously, this is one good addition for your resolution list. Yeah, and selfishly I’m hoping to get more of your menus up here each week!
Can’t wait to hear all your resolution thoughts!
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
I love to make New Year’s Goals! Early Jan is the time of year where i love to reflect on what went well, and what I want to accomplish/try out for the new year. I break my life down into areas such as family, friends, finances, health, career and personal growth and then plug a new goal into each area. I find the way to being successful is then writing weekly goals on Sunday nite (w/my weekly menu planning!) or Monday am, that are specific and reflect the goals I’ve made for each area of my life. I use an organizer religiously too;)
wow, anne marie! you are an EXPERT! thank you for sharing…that is a great approach!
I think for a few weeks before New Year’s about what I’ve enjoyed over the past year and what I would like to get out of the coming year. Then I make up some goals to reflect those things. And I blog them and try to blog about progress I make on them because it motivates me to continue on with them. My list is on my non-food blog.
My tip for resolutions: WRITE IT DOWN! And then do (and print out and have in a handy place) an excel spreadsheet to track your progress. There’s nothing more encouraging than to have to own up to how you’ve been doing. Plus, you can pat yourself on the back when you see a nice line of X’s in a row. And, if there are kids in the house, get them to remind you of the no-no’s. They love to tell you what to do anyway, so give them something to say you’ll appreciate.
I make a new set of goals twice a year–once at New Years and once at my birthday–and my BIGGEST & BEST tips to completing them are:
BE SPECIFIC & MAKE MINI-GOALS. Instead of “I’m going to work out,” make some defined mini-goals like doing yoga twice a week, walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator, etc.
BUILD UP. My husband thought of this, and I think its a brilliant solution to the giving-up-because-you-made-too-many-goals problem. He WANTS to work out three times a week, but instead has given himself the goal of running once a week. When he gets that down in say a month or two, he’s going to beef it up to twice a week.
BE FLEXIBLE. Give yourself some wiggle room. If you go all or nothing, you usually end up sticking with nothing.
Good luck!!!