New Year’s resolutions. I don’t believe I have ever kept one for the entire 365 day period, have you? Past failures include: run three times a week, be more patient, quit soda, eat more vegetables, read my Bible everyday, and I think (if I remember correctly), send a birthday card to every single person I know two days before their birthday. Riiiight.
I’d like to give myself an A for effort, but I’d be lying.
That’s the thing about New Year’s resolutions—they set you up for failure. Or, so I like to think anyways. Let’s be honest, in 365 days, I can barely remember what my resolutions were in the first place.
Having said that, I would like to take this opportunity to a) list my stipulations for my New Year’s resolutions and b) list my actual resolutions. As a faithful reading audience of hundreds three, I expect you all to hold me accountable.
Stipulations:
1. I am human. As much as I would love to state with confidence that I will become a better person in 2010, I can certainly make no such guarantee. Knowing this much, I am shooting for the stars and making many resolutions, in hopes that I will be able to keep at least one for an extended period of time.
2. When I say “hold me accountable,” I mean that. If you see me going against my sincerest wishes for myself, please don’t hesitate to call me out on it.
3. This list is in no way, shape or form, exhaustive. I have a habit (you decide—good or bad) of making weekly and/or monthly resolutions, typically after an epiphany of self awareness in which I discover something horrible about myself. Having said that, I am surely going to discover more negative attributes in the forthcoming year and could not possibly anticipate, nor strive to improve, those characteristics in advance.
O-kay, onto the resolutions. Drumrolls graciously accepted.
I resolve to give more and take less. I resolve to save more and spend less. I resolve to listen better. I resolve to invest more time in the friends who invest their time in me. I resolve to remember birthdays. I resolve to be a better wife. I resolve to be more adventurous with my cooking. I resolve to celebrate more and complain less. I resolve to care less what others think of me, and care more about what I think of myself. I resolve to go against the mailbox theory and write more handwritten letters and cards. I resolve to read more. I resolve to be more honest with myself and others. I resolve to run a half marathon because I know I can do it. I resolve to work harder. I resolve to find my dream job, because I believe I deserve it. I resolve to laugh often and cry less. I resolve to love stronger. I resolve to trust more and doubt less. I resolve to quit soda and wear more sunscreen.
What are your resolutions for 2010?
Tags: goals, new years, resolutions
Hooray! Those are excellent and achievable resolutions IMO. I know you can do it.
Oh and ps; there are actually 11 readers who subscribe to your blog I just looked it up. So there
I feel so dang popular. Thank you 11 readers!
p.s. how did you look that up?!? I should prooobably know how to do that.
I’m the same as you….I can hardly remember what I resolved to do in the first place! I love all of yours and can easily see you attaining them
I’ve been thinking a lot about the changes I want to make and one thing that seems consistently on my mind is doing less “work” (it’s hard to think as my photography business as work because I love it so much) and taking better care of my family. God’s been placing this on my heart for some time now but I keep wanting to ignore it…..not anymore though. So I resolve to be wiser about the photography projects I take on and to have more realistic goals of what I’m capable of handling so that I won’t turn into a mad woman trying to juggle wife/mom/cook/maid/business woman! I’m really looking forward to following God’s plan 
Oh, and I want/need to start a new Bible study too!
Haha in Google Reader you click on “Browse for stuff” and in the keywords field type in your URL. Ta da!
Ashlee Gadd, I sincerely love you. Please make that at least 12 readers because I don’t know how to really subscribe to blogs but I read yours regularly.
I’ll write back, I promise
I love your beautiful heart and how well you capture that on the page. Please do follow through with the mailbox theory and put me on the list of recipients
I love your resolutions and … a half marathon? Wow!! Go, go , go, girl!
And thanks for playing in the This Time I Really Mean It! campaign.
Also? My birthday is July 16th. (haha!)
Stopping over from Nanny Goats/Margaret’s.
Why did I think of New Year’s Resolution Stipulations! I love that.
Your Resolutions are wonderful. I’m guessing you already do a good job at most of them.
You have a terrific blog. I’ll be back again soon.
Happy new year!
Those are great goals, especially the birthday card one. I’ve tried to give up soda but it is soooo hard. In fact it has been nearly 24 hours without a Diet Coke and I think I might die. Good luck on your resolutions and kudos to you for having people call you out if you mess up. That takes guts! Happy New Year.
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