Project 365 [6/365]

New Years Resolutions.

Do you make them? I always do. Its nice to have a time to reflect on how things are going in life and decide what is working out and what isn’t.

Reading about resolutions is always interesting. So many articles say that people have a hard time sticking to their resolutions for various reasons. Some of which are that they are too vague.

“I want to lose weight” for example. Lose weight? Ok, how much? By when? And even, why? That resolution is an ambitious-less goal.

“Organize my home” is another popular example. Wow. That one is such a huge task. If it were as simple as just saying you want it organized it would be done by now. You probably need storage supplies, a room-by-room plan, some boxes for all the clutter you’ll be flinging, and a strong mindset to get rid of things and change habits.

Which brings me to my point. Setting a new years resolution isn’t about mindless goals. Its about really looking at your lifestyle and being open and willing enough to change your habits.

Another reason resolutions seem to fail is because people keep them to themselves. You have to have a support system and someone to hold you to your decisions. Its way too easy to talk yourself into slipping back into your old ways. But if a friend is interested in your progress and holds you accountable for your self-set deadlines you’re more likely to want to reach each goal.

Being a taurus I get enjoyment out of accomplishing something that people didn’t think I could do.

So now I’d like to share my new years resolutions with you today ~

1 ~ Start eating (and feeding my family) more whole foods
Plan: each week we will try a new dinner that doesn’t have any processed food. I will make a note about each meal – what we like/ dislike, maybe a picture (hello, blog it!), and save the recipe(s). This way by the end of the year I’ll have at least 50 starter meals to keep us heading towards a whole foods lifestyle.

2 ~ Simplify our home
Plan: ok, maybe this one isn’t too different from “organize my home” but it means something specific to me. Minimalise all of our material goods. In the past week we’ve delivered 2 tvs, 3 boxes of household goods, and two bags of clothes to the Goodwill. I have a basic outline of the way I plan on tackling this. I’ve sectioned up our house – Downstairs: living, dining, bathroom, kitchen; Downstairs: bedroom; Upstairs: bedrooms, office; Garage/ Attic. I am planning on attacking each area seasonally. If I’m really brave I’ll share some before and after pictures along with any decorations we may add.

3 ~ Practice presence
Plan: be mindful about the way I spend my time. How will I do this? I plan on practicing yoga and meditating on a more regular basis – yoga 3 times a week. I bought a mat and a couple DVDs to get me started. I plan on really listening and tune in when I’m involved in a conversation. Use technology less, especially when I have someone to be with. TV time is the first technology choice to go for me. And lastly I plan on practicing presence by spending more time with my family. Specifically our boys, but I’d like to spend more time with my extended family too.

4 ~ Less material goods/ More “moments”
Plan: financial freedom is a curious thing. We buy more to make us happy, when it just ends up bogging us down. I plan on spending our money on more things that will encourage us to make memories together or that will allow us to travel or go on a local adventure. Time together is more precious than something from a store (and will help out with resolution number 2 as well!).

5 ~ Less dairy/ more produce
Plan: this goes along with number 1 but takes it a bit more specifically. And its for many good reasons. But I plan on starting out eating at least one whole fruit each day. (I’d like to think I eat a lot of produce now, but I know I’m kidding myself.) I am also going to add extra veggies in at every option. Burger? Ok, load it up with romain, spinach, and tomato. 😉 And ditch the cheese slice. Tacos? Load em up with peppers, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, olives… and no cheese. I know I’ll grow to not miss it on some dishes. I’ll still eat cheese on things like lasagna and pizza and cheese with crackers. I think if I eliminate it when possible it will be just fine to indulge in cheese on the important dishes.

6 ~ 365 blog project
Plan: well, this one is a work in progress. But I’ve clearly started.

7 ~ Organize photos
Plan: each weekend I will set aside 30 minutes to add keywords to the folders and separate out events and the husband’s projects. Once they are separated and labeled I will go through the folders and delete the photos that are just taking up space. I hope I can clear out at least 20% of what I have, maybe more!

Well, I feel like 7 is a good number of goals for 2013. I’d love to hear what some of your goals are for the new year and how you’re planning on implementing the changes into your lifestyle in the comments!

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