It's that time of year again!

New Year's Resolutions - yay!! I'm not sure why I get so excited to write down "resolutions" that I do not keep.  Perhaps I should be concerned about ruining my credibility, but frankly, I was quite amused to read the seven resolutions I made last year and didn't come close to keeping ANY of them. So tonight I write down the 2013 Resolutions, and God willing, will be able to look back and laugh on January 1, 2014.

2013 Resolutions of Stroutacus:

1). Lose weight. Yes, I am one of those people, wanting to lose weight. But this year, I have a specific goal in mind.  I RESOLVE TO LOSE ONE POUND in 2013.

2). Blog regularly.  Of course, I had this resolution for 2012 and there were no blog entries after the end of July. So I have crafted a more specific goal for this one as well: I RESOLVE TO BLOG TEN TIMES IN EIGHT DIFFERENT MONTHS in 2013 (I'm already 10% there!).

3). Forgive certain family members. I can only move forward from past pain by forgiving those who have inflicted it on me, but man, it's tough to do when it is so much easier to pout and be angry.  Still, I am putting it out there as a resolution. Now, I would pick one to forgive, but I am equally angry with all of them so I don't know where I'd begin. Maybe the sister-in-law...you know, get the most difficult one out of the way.

4). I resolve to finish my book in 2013. End of story...literally.

5).  GET A JOB. Okay, that's not really a resolution so much as a "To-Do" item. I think I'm starting to get
confused.

Happy New Year!

I resolve...

I am one of those people who likes making New Year's resolutions.  I do place importance on the first day of the year being a day of new beginnings, and an appropriate time to implement changes (or at least be more diligent in efforts to make changes). Here are my resolutions, in no particular order:

1) I resolve to write daily.  My goal is to write 1,000 words daily.
2) I resolve to blog on a REGULAR basis.  My goal is to blog twice a week.
3) I resolve to exercise regularly. My goal is to be active five to six days a week, for at least 30 minutes but ideally working up to an hour each day.
4) I resolve to develop myself spiritually. My goal is to attend church at least twice a month, and I think I want to learn more about meditation.
5) I resolve to develop myself professionally. My goal is to have a full-time job by the end of 2012.  I intend to do that by creating detailed short-term and long-term plans to enter the career I want.
6) I resolve to lose one pound each week (which sounds much less intimidating than "lose 50 pounds in a year").
7) I resolve to adhere to a monthly budget.  My goal is to live within my limits, and shift my spending mindset from "splurge" to "save."

These seven resolutions are ambitious, but each is extremely important to me, and I have tried to make them as realistic as possible. I am very excited to assess the status of each throughout the year!