Thursday, December 31, 2009

Oodles of Resolutions

Ah yes, it's New Year Resolution time.

I love making resolutions. I know that every second of every day I have an opportunity to start over and be a better person than I was the second before. However, when there's a new calender start, the new beginning seems most natural. A new day, a new week, a new month, but most of all a new year, are excellent times to take stock of where you are, remind yourself of where you want to be, and try to get there.

I don't often really write down a lot of goals, or make a lot of plans as to how I will achieve them, so I'm hoping that that was the missing key to accomplishing past resolutions. I have a lot of goals for 2010, 12 to be exact, and I'm going to take them month by month. This month-by-month plan does not mean that I will ignore my goal until its month comes, but each month will have a focus as I try to accumulate some better habits and be a more well-rounded and generally cooler person.
 resolutions for 2010
January: Be kind.  I want to be kinder and less judgemental. I want to focus on my relationship with God more and living my Christian faith every day. I want to be a better wife, friend, sister, daughter and co-worker. I want to be less selfish. I had wanted to put this month off for more fun months, but this one I think is where I have the most need. By setting aside more time for prayer, seeking more volunteer opportunities, and being more involved at church, I'm hoping to see the big picture, not be so petty and judgmental and love, love, love more.

February: Be well-read. This is probably the one that bugs me the most. I've read so little since college it seriously disgusts me, more than the muffin top (That's saying a lot.). In 2010 I'm going to read 50 books (I'm not even halfway through two books right now and I'm going to count those toward this, but will hopefully read more than 50 anyway.). Reading a book a week should not be hard, especially if I make time to read. Normally reading is that thing I'll do before bed but bedtime rolls around and I can't keep my eyes open. First then when I get home, I will read.

March: Be healthy. I would really love to be in good shape and have actual muscle tone. I don't mind the number on the scale as long as none of that number jiggles and some of my number jiggles. I'm going to investigate more ways to eat healthy, continue trying to buy foods that don't have ingredients I can't pronounce, and make some kind of physical fitness a regular part of my life. Hopefully this month it will be warm enough to start biking.

April: Be a better friend. It seems that as I start keeping in better touch with one friend, I stop keeping in touch with another. I keep thinking, "Oh, I'll call her when I have some free time" and that never really comes. Or I come up with lame excuses like maybe she's at dinner. Who knows when she's eating, she doesn't have to answer the phone or she can tell me she'll call me back. I'm going to make the time to call. And start writing real letters more. I love real letters.

May: Be Stylish. Have you seen the trailer for the new Sex and the City movie? I highly recommend it. At :18, you can see a glimpse into my dream life. Who doesn't have that dream? I could just watch :15-:25 of that trailer on repeat and drool. The opening scene of The Devil Wears Prada causes similar feelings. Since we'll hopefully be in a house at this point (Whee!) I hope to be thinking about decorating the house and myself. Perhaps finding a personal style and not just settling for fitted tees and boot cut jeans everyday. (Perhaps fitted tee and boot cut jeans with a fun belt? Brightly colored shoes? Skinny jeans since I'm sure I'll be jiggle-free by May? ;) )

June: Be a better photographer. Check out some books. Research some online tutorials. Figure out Photoshop Elements.

July: Be a better writer/blogger. Plan more posts. Participate more in the blog community, especially 20 Something Bloggers.

August: Be a better local. There's museums, amusement parks, free concerts, fun bars, tasty restaurants, bike trails, parks, old homes, all kinds of awesome stuff to do in Louisville (and the surrounding area. Hello Bourbon Trail.) that I have never seen. This goal could be subtitled: Get off your butt and explore.

September: Be crafty. Learn a new crafty skill or improve on one. Crochet, embroidery, and knitting are high on the list, although my sewing has tons of room for improvement.

October: Be a better cook. Work on trying new dishes and developing new skills. Cook more. I've been relying on frozen pizza a bit too much lately. (Digiorno flat bread with pepperonis and red peppers....yum!)

November: Be a movie buff. I'm hoping to watch 5-6 movies a month this year in an attempt to widdle (Is "widdle" not a word? Blogger is saying it's not. Hmm.) down my Netflix queue which is over 300. No, I'm not exaggerating that a bit. My DVD queue has 292 and my Instant queue has 69. There are a few repeats in the DVD and Instant queues, but that would probably trim off no more than 10.

December: Just be. Perhaps this would've been better at the beginning, but oh well. I'm hoping to do all of these things all year long, each month is just a focus and this is a reflection of this past (err...current) December and how my procrastination caused a mad holiday panic that did not result in peacefully enjoying the season. This year I want to enjoy Christmas. And all of those other moments where I let not-really-that-important-in-the-big-scheme-of-things tasks get in the way of my joy.

Do you guys have any resolutions? Crazy plans for 2010?

Happy New Year's! :)

10 comments:

Ashley Colagross said...

Go ahead and start biking! It's fun! I did it all last winter at Centre except when it was icy because I didn't have studded tires. :) Biking would help with your health and being a better local goals. I try to bike to anywhere I need to go that's within five-ish miles from home. I recommend the Let's Go Ride A Bike blog for tips on cool weather cycling. http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/how-to-dress-for-fall-cycling/

Amy@TheLemonCottage said...

I think that is a fantastic list.
My favorite thing about your list??? The fact that it is realistic.

Girl- I'm with you on the Sex And City movie... GASP
Hello, Lovah!

~Amy

brax4444 said...

I agree with Ashley. If you think it's too cold to bike in Louisville, Kentucky - try Edmonton, Alberta: http://girlsandbicycles.blogspot.com/2009/12/konas-winter-makeover.html

I use Sarah as my inspiration to go outside and do things when I think it's "too cold" here. It's almost always a LOT colder there. For instance, currently it's 49F here and -9F there.

Sarah also featured Claire: http://girlsandbicycles.blogspot.com/2009/11/do-madsen.html

kim_brough said...

It is a word, but it's 'whittle'. :-)

I don't do resolutions, but each birthday I compile a list of things that I want to have accomplished in my life by the time another birthday comes around. Kinda the same thing, but a lot of things on that list are things to actually do, like "Go on a cruise" or "go on a date".

MY plan for 2010 is to meet my husband. I'm just trying to convince God that is should be on HIS list to do in 2010 also. :-)

Katie said...

Amy -- I'm glad you like my resolutions!

Kim -- Good luck husband hunting! ;)

Ashley and Braxton -- Thanks for the biking suggestions. Once I get used to riding again (I haven't been on a bike in a decade-ish.) I'll have to seek out some more pointers. I would like to ride my bike more places, but it kind of scares me. Perhaps as I get used to riding again it won't.

stefanie said...

What a great list!!! A few of your goals are on my list as well - especially being more well-read and healthy.

virginia said...

I saw this list on HuffPo and thought it might give you some inspiration for your February resolution:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/celeste-ng/readerly-resolutions-for_b_397554.html

Good luck!

Katie said...

Excellent suggestions Ginny!

Jill said...

monthly goals = brilliant. pardon me while i very likely copy your idea in a later post... :)

Katie said...

I'm glad you like them Jill and look forward to reading your monthly goals.