I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. While I think they're fun to make on New Year's Eve with all your friends anticipating the drop of the ball, I have never once kept up with my resolutions for more than a week, nor have I ever seen someone else keep up with their New Years Resolutions for more than a week. I think people just love to start fresh and say that they're going to do X, Y and Z without having already anticipated how hard it would be to configure their resolutions into everyday life. I have a lot of hopes and dreams and goals for my life, and I don't expect to get them all done in a year. So no, I don't believe in New Year's resolutions.
I do, however, believe in accountability. I have been more fit, more spiritually close, more emotionally available and truthfully, happier, all by having an accountability partner. So I'm going to do something that I never anticipated I would do for this year.
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I'm going to make my New Year's resolutions.
And, to make sure I'm actually going to do them, I am listing them out for all the world to see so that my accountability partner is, in fact, every single person who has access to the internet.
Yikes. Here goes nothing.
1. Get Fit
I used to dance, and I was extremely fit during those years. I wouldn't say I'm staring at the Freshmen 15 at all, but I definitely cannot do more than 10 pushups right now even if my life depended on it. Orange Theory Fitness center here I come!
2. Read Daily Devotionals
I am not — nor will I ever be or have ever been — a morning person. If I'm not getting up to see the sunrise on a beach, I'm not getting up at all. So needless to say, I'm pretty grumpy going to my latest class of the week at 9:05 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It's going to take a lot for me to wake up even 5 minutes earlier, but maybe if someone invents a coffee machine that brews your coffee right when your alarm goes off, this could be a smoother ride (million dollar idea, you heard it here first). Until then, hopefully, Jesus is okay with my slightly agitated self.
3. Go to Bed Earlier
I may not be a morning person, but I am a total night owl. I can socialize until the sun rises, and this causes me a lot of issues. Honestly, it's mostly because I procrastinate until I finally get my homework done at two in the morning, so along with going to bed earlier, I am going to resolve to do my homework sooner.
4. Let Go
I need to let go of clothes in my closet just as much as I need to let go of people or situations that are bringing a negative light into my life. I'm especially bad about this because I love people, but if they aren't helping to bring positivity into my life, they do not need to be there.
5. Eat Healthier
I love candy! I am a total sweet tooth, just ask my dentist (so sorry Dr. Harvey)! But the candy and sugary drinks have to go. I've actually found a really wonderful alternative if you don't drink enough water (like me) and love the taste of sugar (like me), try Suja — raspberry flavor tastes best. I'm resolving to get rid of sodas and put away the bags of candy. It's important to care for the inside of my body just as much as the outside.
So that's it for resolutions for me. I don't need some big, extensive list of things I could never possibly get done but, rather, just a few things that I can do every day that will add to the well-being of my heart and spirit. If you were one of those people that made New Year's resolutions this year, that's so great, and I hope you do everything with this year that you want. But keep an accountability partner and keep the list short and sweet. Believe me, you'll thank me next year.
