First of all…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you had a wonderful evening last night & are having a beautiful New Year’s Day. You know those resolutions we’re all “supposed” to make? Well…
I hate resolutions. The intentions are always good but they just make you feel guilty when you slip up or get too busy with life to follow through. Why even bother to do that to ourselves? Guilt sucks. I say that this year we throw out the resolutions. Screw ‘em.
Screw resolutions.
I say this year we try something different. This year let’s make a list of 13 dreams & ideas we want to live this year – a to do list for our hearts, souls & minds.
How is this different from a resolution?
Intention. That one word makes a world of difference. Oh, yes it does. With a resolution we say things like:
“I’m going to donate 10% of my income every month to charity and volunteer X number of hours every month.”
“I’m going to lose 20 pounds.”
“I’m going to learn to speak fluent Swahili.”
What if the transmission in your car curls up and dies? A major unexpected expense like that pops up and there goes the tithing and Swahili (Rosetta Stone software is pretty pricey). What if you have to put in extra hours at work to pay for that transmission? There goes the volunteer work. What if you’re tired from all the overtime and lack of sleep so, in a state of exhaustion, you get a severe sprain while you’re working out? Another resolution unfulfilled. And when all is said and done all those noble promises are broken and we feel like failures. Screw that.
But what if we make a few adjustments to those resolutions? What if we said:
“I’m going to practice more kindness and be more helpful.”
“I’m going to be healthier and feel good in my skin.”
“I’m going to explore other cultures and learn more about the world I live in.”
By changing the intention just a little and how we view our desired result we open the door to more opportunities. We create freedom. We create possibilities. I don’t know about you but I’ll take freedom over guilt any day.
Here’s how I’m going to rock 2013:
1) Document more of my life through photography – I know I’ll be thankful for this in years to come.
2) Work less – if I told you how many hours a day I spend working your mind would be blown.
3) Relax more – I know I’m not alone on this one.
4) Become more comfortable in the kitchen – I’ve never been much of a cook.
5) Allow myself to be less responsible – slacking off & acting like a 14 year old from time to time is good for the soul.
6) Look for more humor in life – you can never laugh too much (even if the smile lines on my face say otherwise)
7) Leave time for adventure – I didn’t explore & travel as much last year as I usually do. I missed it…A LOT.
8) Express my love – it can be easy to fall into ruts & take people for granted.
9) Observe gratitude – the world is more beautiful when you take time to appreciate all the little things that bring joy.
10) Embrace my boldness – I used to be more adventurous with my clothes, my words & my life. I used to be fearless. I toned it down over the years & now I’m bored…but not for long.
11) Move forward – it can be easy to stall out when you’re comfortable…progress takes effort.
12) Expand my horizons through knowledge – I love learning & you can never know too much.
13) Allow myself to be wrong – wrong about this list, wrong about the shoes that were sooo cute but were really a hideous disaster, wrong about anything. It’s okay to be wrong.
So there they are – the 13 ways I’m going to rock the new year. What do you think? Are you on board? What changes are you going to make in 2013?
Wishing you the happiest of new years.
Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
images:: new year 2013 by aaron terry :: resolutions…or not by laygum :: resolutions by ryan romeike :: happy new year 2013 by riva
