Resolutions

As I write this, I'm starving. Okay, not really. But I'd love a cookie. Or chocolate. Or french fries. And every time I look at the nice shiny apple on my desk, I kind of snarl at it for not being covered in caramel. Oh new year's resolutions...

The past few years I have not made any resolutions. I kind of applied to the school of thought that if someone wants to change something, they'll do it, whether is January 1 or July 12. But people need to feel like they have a definitive start point. The problem with a start point is, people (myself included) think they need to start all at once. So by January 3rd, you're starving from eating only lettuce, tired because you've ran more in the past 3 days than you did in the past 3 months, you're stuffs all over the living room floor because you we're going to organize your closets IMMEDIATELY... sound familiar?

In 2012 I read a great book called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It was a really great concept. She made 12 resolutions, prioritized their importance, then tackled the biggest one in January, adding a new resolution each month. She gave herself 30 days to get into a habit, tackled one thing. Then she kept the habit as she went along adding new ones.

So my goal for 2013 is to tackle my resolutions throughout the year. Right now I only have six resolutions. Maybe I'll add more as I go, or maybe I won't. But here's the list as it stands:

• January: Eating Healthier - less processed foods; aiming for a more plant-based diet. 
• February: Working Out More - groan.
• March: Calm My Inner Voice - it's usually a nervous, neurotic mess, when in reality, almost everything turns out totally fine.
• April: Be More Patient & Kind - it will probably be easier when my inner voice isn't screaming about how slow you're moving, how loud the person on the bus is, how something is 30 seconds late, etc.

Numbers five & six are the only ones I'm hoping to start working on immediately and continue the whole year through. Five is to make new friends in Chicago and six is to become more active in life - not only physically, but more actively engaged. They latter will definitely help the former. I've already put things on the calendar for the year and I'm excited. I'm really excited for a fresh, exciting 2013.

Tell me (while I go eat my non-caramel apple), what are your goals? How are you achieving them?