As we wash off the dust from the old year and look forward to the new, I’ve been doing what I usually do at holiday time: journalling. Evaluating the effects of 2011′s choices and considering what I need to focus on in 2012.
Instead of creating resolutions, I’m adding to and reordering my To-Do List.
I think we all feel guilty about our weight and health after a month of sugar and chocolate binges, a gallon of eggnog, and several nights of creative drinking. Still too many candy canes left, even after the tree comes down. Naturally we have the urge to join gyms and re-double our dieting efforts, but I find myself discouraged before I even begin, because how many times in the past have I done the same thing only to fail? They say set the big, concrete goal and break it into smaller steps, but I’m wondering if the big concrete goal is my hang-up. Like, why bother completing the smaller steps when I’ll never reach that big goal (judging from past experience)?
Whereas, adding daily exercise and a daily smoothie to the To-Do List doesn’t seem like much of a commitment, in fact it seems downright do-able. I haven’t failed if it hasn’t gotten crossed off yet. It just carries over–each day a new opportunity to get it done. Might as well add “Write 1-2K” to the To-Do List as well. But then, what motivates me to take that opportunity today, when I’ve ignored it so many times before? Perhaps that big goal, that prize, is necessary after all, but then why has that not worked in the past?
Frustrating, isn’t it? Oh yeah.
“One good solid hope is worth a cartload of certainties.” -The Fourth Doctor, Warrior’s Gate
A fresh new year, a fresh new To-Do List, and 365 days of hope. Time to get my butt in gear!
~Shara
