Boycotting The New Year's Resolution!

In my opinion, be it ever so humble, New Year's Resolutions SUCK. Here is my own personal and possibly even (dare I say it ) "professional" insight into the very common, highly unsuccessful..."List of New Year's Resolutions".

Now...before I start to crush your rainbow, let me just say, if it makes you feel good, if you happen to have a long history of success with this strategy, if you historically resolve to run a marathon and have ran three already because of it... for all that is good and holy, DON'T STOP MAKING THE RESOLUTIONS. This girl however, has a failure rate that surpasses even my high school geometry grades, so I have made a very conscious decision to not make any resolutions.

People have already begun to ask, "What is your resolution?" "Did you make any resolutions for 2014?"  They typically go on to list their own goals. That is spectacular...for them. But statistically speaking...I think there is something like an 8% success rate with being, well, "successful" with that crap. Don't quote me on that percentage, as I may have made it up.

Here are my thoughts for 2014.  Don't set yourself up for failure by telling everyone you know that you will be losing "at least" 25 pounds! That you will be eating "clean" for 365 days. That you will be hitting the gym "AT LEAST" five days per week. Maybe you will profess that you won't fight with your children, your husband, your dog. Perhaps you will be increasing your sales goals by 25 percent or, wait for it...You are finally going to quit your job and become self-actualized by opening a small business selling the organic veggies, fruits and flowers from your own backyard garden!

Don't get me wrong, each of the above, they are all amazing things to do. They are healthy and gratifying. They are emotionally and possibly even fiscally satisfying and certainly they are fun conversation starters...however, once you tell anyone who will listen... here comes the crush, THEY PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN. At the first person you tell, the pressure is on. By the tenth person...tick, tock, tick, tock, the year starts going at light speed.

This is what I will be doing instead. Again, this is what I can only hope is better for ME. It's worth repeating, if you are the Mac Daddy of success in the resolution area...keep it up. (Yup, I said Mac Daddy)

However, I am "thinking" about what change might look like in my life. What is working, what is not? I would like to be more minimalistic, I would like to begin to only keep what I love, what is important or functional in my home. I would love to have more quality family meals. And, yes...I wouldn't mind actually using my gym membership from time to time. It is worth noting...the gym membership was yet another, impulsive like decision. It went something like this, my husband goes to the gym consistently and has had AWESOME results. As my 11 year old likes to point out, "I am Jelli" Yes...that could mean my stomach, but in this middle school speak, apparently, I am jealous. Possibly rabbit.

When it comes to working out, I tend to be an all or nothing type of girl. If I did have a goal, it would be to find a consistent, fun and productive regime, that I don't phase out of. If I am being totally transparent, there is an important side note worth telling you...my gym membership actually started on a 95 degree day in August, it happened, literally, just moments after watching my 21 year old babysitter, run under the sprinkler in the backyard with my seven year old. Here is the quick visual of my babysitter who confessed to me "If I don't work out everyday, I just don't feel right." So...there she is, my backyard, in her tank top, her very cute, very tiny shorts, long wet hair, jumping, frolicking and giggling with my son.

 Lets just say that I literally, and I kid you not, RAN TO THE GYM, SIGNED SOMETHING LIKE A SIX YEAR CONTRACT AND WORKED OUT FOR THREE HOURS. I have not been back since that day. The babysitter went back to college and my son regularly asks me "Mom...do you have that Retro Fitness key tag, just so people think you work out?" NICE.

That my friends, is just one example of why...this girl, won't resolve to do anything, and I definitely won't be telling too many people, if I do, in fact decide to set a goal. My thought is this, set an intention, keep it to yourself or tell one trusted person, maybe even write it down. Each day...slowly revisit some of your intentions. For example, It is my intention to find small ways to organize or de-clutter. It is my intention to live in a healthy way, both physically and emotionally. It is my hope to spend more quality time with loved ones.

I hope to be able to continue on a path of goodness and light...remembering that life is just a blink, my kids are only young for a minute and at the risk of sounding cliché, this is not a dress rehearsal people! I attempt to live by a few  inner guidelines. I hope to continue and improve upon those. I pray I can be impeccable with my word, not take things personally and to comfort others more than be comforted. I will send my intentions out into the world...to the universe...to God...but probably not everyone I know. Because, for this girl, once I start telling you what I am going to do, I am pretty much sure, it won't happen the way I visualize it, or even worse, the way YOU visualize it!

So... today, on this sixth day of 2014, I set my private intentions out into the world. I know what they are, but I can be flexible. I am a work in progress. I will strive for progress not perfection. I will breathe. Inhale, exhale, repeat. I will attempt to walk through this year, in a non-frantic, self-loving way. I will be good enough. I will attempt to be true to myself, authentic to who I aspire to become and who I already am. I will not torture myself with negative talk and discredit my sense of self, by setting overzealous resolutions, that I tell anyone who will listen.

So...do yourself a favor. Go easy. Enjoy the small moments and create new memories. If you hit a few of your "intentions" along the way...kudos to you. Remember...we only really have today, so do TODAY. Goals are awesome, but living fully in each present moment, is a sure fire way to move you closer to your desire.

Now...time to hit the GYM!!! I am totally going to tear that place up for a solid 20 minutes!

Happy 2014