Kicking Off The New Year

Every year I make bold New Year's Resolutions. Every year they are the same. And every year I fail miserably at sticking to them. This year I would like to try something a little different. No, no, not new resolutions. I still have the same four in mind: learn to cook, learn to sew, save money, and get in shape. In years past I have kept them in my head and repeated them silently. A week later I would think to myself 'hey, I've only worked out twice this year! I must change that!' Two months later I'd think 'wow, I only tried a few new dishes. I should get started on cooking!'

However, never before have I told anyone about my resolutions. I'm the kind of person to dismiss them publicly as foolish. If you're so keen to make changes in your life, why should you wait until the New Year to do so? Despite my public shaming of resolutions I still made them silently because I did wish to better myself. There's always room for improvement in one's life, and the New Year is just as good of reason as any to get started.

This year, instead of keeping my resolutions silent like a twisted personal vendetta, I'm proclaiming them loudly here and to my boyfriend. I will track my progress on what will hopefully be a daily basis. By holding myself accountable to the public I am hoping to actually make the changes in my life that I have long dreamt about.

I have made another improvement from years past: these resolutions are premeditated. In the past month I have gathered resources such as a sewing machine, sewing books, cook books, and family recipes. I have a rough, and more importantly, realistic, plan of when and how to accomplish each of my goals. In the past I have set high goals which were either not feasible or lacked planning to reach them. For example, in the past I would say 'must work out at least five days per week!' without considering my fitness level. I would also say 'sew this really cute silk top that I'm imagining!' without considering that silk is a difficult material to work with especially for someone with no sewing experience, or a sewing machine for that matter.

This year I'm prepared. This year I'm ready to make some changes. This year I resolve to cook homemade meals more often, learn to sew, save more money, and increase my fitness level.