We’ve finally wrapped up 2022 and that means its time to enact our annual new year resolution lists.
You may be saying to yourself those are silly or no one does them anymore, but I think we subconsciously have a list of a few things we would like to try our hand at for 2023.
I don’t think new year resolutions are bad at all. They bring optimism to our lives and all they are is goals essentially.
Where resolutions get a bad rap is when people set “unrealistic” goals or have those types of expectations for themselves, but I think that comes down to trial and error.
Now, through that trial and error, if things continue to crash and burn that is when we really have to be honest with our goal setting skills and might need to consult outside sources.
We can always make changes or adjust our plans or goals at any given time. However, when New Year’s comes around, I think it allows us to reflect on the past year, assess where we were to begin that year and see how we went about things.
Having the opportunity to see the big picture for ourselves and determine what direction we each want to go with ourselves after 365 days of going about our lives seems like a healthy gap of time to see where we can improve or how we want to adjust the way we go about everyday life.
I say all this as if it was easy thing to accomplish and there were no obstacles in the way of getting the results we’d like out of our resolutions.
There is a reason everyone during New Year’s has the same conversation about how useless or played out having new year resolutions are.
They’re hard. Even the smallest of goals require discipline and constant effort. The bigger or more extensive the resolution, the more dedicated we have to be to see that through.
I think it comes down to how serious are we about these types of things.
If I passively say I want to learn how to play the violin by the end of the year, depending on the seriousness of that goal, I might watch several YouTube videos of professional violin players playing the most advanced musical pieces on earth and call it day, or I could research ways to get my foot in the door to learning how to play.
It’s a matter of perspective and how willing we are to pursue our goals.
These resolutions aren’t easy, and I suggest taking on smaller goals to build that confidence and discipline if you have trouble each year sticking to those goals you set.
One of my biggest resolutions or goals I have had in mind is reading more. As much as I admire the self-help section or non-fiction, I enjoy the fiction section more.
Through my grade school years, I very rarely visited our own school library much less any other public library.
You would think someone with a journalist background would be more inclined to reading, but that isn’t the case.
With that, my mother is the biggest book worm I know. For holidays or her birthday, I usually take her to Barnes and Noble and give her free reign to get some of the books she has had an eye on.
My goal is too simply read more. I’d put a hard number on books for the year, month or number of pages each day, but if you are as busy as I am, some days are easier to get those specific rules done than others.
When setting my resolutions, I feel that it is easier to set these goals to be obtainable in chunks.
We’re human, there are days where we don’t get what we want done and if we put strict guidelines on ourselves that will drive us further from wanting to continue to pursue our goals.
It’s okay to be tripped up but pushing past that point and continuing the journey is where people actually achieve their resolutions and goals.
For myself, I only have two resolutions. On top of reading more, I am setting my mind on being better in regard to my health.
This is the part where I’m going to hold myself accountable for my actions and I’ve been neglecting my health by not being as strict or observant of my diabetes.
When I came on staff last January, I was getting used to the working world, the deadlines of the job and the long hours and lack the bad habits that came with it.
As a sports writer, traveling is a part of the job and games run late and the drives back home run late as well. Nothing is easier than hitting a drive through and grabbing a burger.
That’s not detrimental when it’s done in occasion. However, when that is done on a consistent bases, that takes a toll.
The overall care I had for myself prior was not great, but it slipped even worse by that time.
At that point I owe Stephen a lot, because he sat me down and we talked about it because he noticed how I was functioning was not that great.
He helped me stay accountable with my health and gave me advice to help put things back into balance.
After a few months, I had dropped a couple of pounds, my A1C has dropped considerably, and my overall health has improved.
I had created consistency in a short span of time, but with life and change it can be hard to adjust.
When I took on the new role, I was in unfamiliar territory, and I felt like I had to throw balance out the window to get the job done.
Now that I have worked myself into a better or slightly more comfortable situation, I want to find that balance and hopefully be able to withstand any change.
Once damage is done to the body it can’t be changed, but that doesn’t mean I should continue to live that type of lifestyle.
Having done it once, I know I am capable, but it’s going to take baby steps to develop that discipline.
I’m looking forward to this coming year. There is a lot of potential for any of us who are wanting to do something different.
There will be ups and downs, but all we can do is control what we can and have a smile while doing it.
If we think of these things as chores nothing will last longterm.
Be optimistic and find what will drive what you want to do. T