Of Course: 10 Ambitious Resolutions for 2008
It’s good to think big, right? Well I have lots of changes I would like to see happen in my life, and while I may not achieve all of them I think it’s good to have them defined. A few of them will be enforced practically at the start of 2008, while others will be things to work on.
I know, I know - New Years Resolutions are so overdone. The truth is that I am always excited about personal development and improving my lifestyle. In the past 10 years I have gone through so much and learned so much about myself through my experiments and researching - there’s a lot to be proud of. I make personal resolutions regularly as I strive for a lifestyle that ensures as much as possible my health and happiness. So as a refreshing jump start to the new year, setting intentions for the kind of life I want to have is something I welcome.
1. Giving up refined sugar for the entire year of 2008, from start to finish. Refined meaning the high-glycemic, processed, unhealthy sugars found in sugary vegan desserts and other junk foods. Consisting of empty calories that cause lots of damage to my body, sugar has long been my “frenemy,” you could say. I once eliminated sugar for a good three months, and it felt fantastic. The alternative will of course be lots of fruits - which are of course delicious! Raw desserts are fine (with things like agave nectar), and I’m also okay with small amounts of maple syrup. I will be able to make things for other people, but no taste testing!
2. Not drinking any soda (diet or full sugar) in 2008. This one is easy to accomplish since I hardly drink any. Also I refuse to drink any diet soda because of the aspartame, and sugary and with resolution #1 I won’t be able to drink regular full-sugar soda anyway.
3. Resolve my relationship with food. Stop eating out of stress or boredom, stop overeating - the endless cycle I have been dealing with for a long time now. For good, I would like to achieve some balance in my eating habits and learn to control my eating in a healthy way.
4. Learn how to meditate and begin a meditation practice.
5. Get in control of my finances - the tools for this are already in place. I was using Expensr but I may or may not be switching to Wesabe. Either way, I know that the key is to track every single penny I spend. It’s true that ’smart women finish rich,’ and I need to achieve that financial independent strength.
6. Continue to NOT watch television. With all of the things I want and need to do with my time, television is the ultimate life-zapper. There is no room for it.
7. Learn how to disconnect from the Net. I would like to control my internet-surfing addiction (that I love) by regularly ‘disconnecting’ in order to read, clean, get things done, or just get out of the house more often. While the internet and I go way back and are completely infatuated with one another, we need some distance every now and then.
8. Exercise at least 5 days per week in 2008. My goal is 30 minutes running every day (easily fit into my work lunch hour) that I’m not in yoga. On Saturdays I can do a long run if feeling very ambitious (1 hr to 1 hr 30 minutes) to help build endurance. Ideally I would exercise 7 days a week since I believe that’s the ideal for everyone, but 5 days per week is a more realistic goal for now. Striving towards regular races throughout the year will also help me to stay motivated.
9. Write more regularly. I would like to get back into my morning pages routine (a la the Artist’s Way), and continue to blog in earnest. Since I see much more professional writing in my future, improving my writing skills will be very important. This means practice! Also, my morning pages experience taught me that writing is also a kind of meditation and means of connection to myself that helps other areas of my life.
10. Learn detachment and letting go. This applies especially to social situations; I would like to be able to take a step back when facing challenges in my interactions with others. I think it will help me to become a better person and improve my relationships. With all of my drive to improve my lifestyle and form resolutions such as this one, I also need to learn how to let go and accept imperfection. Forgiveness of myself and others comes with this letting go. An important and worthy goal for 2008.
I wish you all of the best in this New Year of 2008.
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