I Don't Believe in Resolutions

Most people don't keep most - if any - of their New Year's resolutions. A Google search run by yours truly found a few statistics saying that somewhere in the neighborhood of 75%-97% of resolutions made at the start of a new year are not kept. That means that most of us start the year with all sorts of good intentions to better ourselves, but for some reason - probably that we are all creatures of habit - we do not complete what we set out to do.

As such - I do not believe in New Year's resolutions. I do, however, believe that setting goals for ourselves is a good idea. These goals should be SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound); if you do not create a goal that fits into most or all of those categories, it is destined for failure. For example: the number one New Year's resolution is to lose weight. A lot of people will start the year and say "I am going to lose weight this year!". That is not a good enough goal; a better goal would be "I am going to lose 30 pounds by Thanksgiving". Do you see the difference?

So - for 2010 I have set out a few goals I am going to do. Nothing too crazy, and definitely things that are doable.

1. In 2010, I am going to read through the entire Bible. I have never read the whole Bible before and there are several plans out there to do so. I have a journal that details out a plan to read over the course of the year beginning in January. This makes it easy to start at the beginning of the year rather than somewhere in the middle. I am very excited about diving into God's word and getting closer to Him just at a time in my faith journey that I am starting to feel His presence more.

2. In 2010, I am going to complete more crochet projects. There are a few hobbies that I really enjoy that had fallen by the wayside during 2009 - crocheting was one of them. Considering that this year I think all I accomplished was maybe a few dishcloths, this should NOT be difficult to measure. This is attainable by using my time at home better and making sure that I do take time for myself to do these hobbies.

3. I will read and complete more books during 2010. Again - this one should not be a difficult one to attain and is another hobby that has been neglected. I am a bookworm at heart, and this year I only completed 4 books according to my GoodReads page, where I track what I read. Seriously? I miss reading. I need to get on top of this - I have some to finish and start!

4. I would like to be able to run in and complete a 5K road race. This is a big one for me and probably the only "Shoot for the Moon" goal I have. There's a local road race that is held every year on Thanksgiving Day called the Feaster Five. I've never been much of a runner, and I don't need to place in the top 10 - but I would like to be able to at least run in the race once and complete it. I've been trying to start running more and it's been much easier since I've lost weight; I actually enjoy my time on the treadmill at the gym. I can't wait for the weather to start getting nicer and start running outside.

There you have it. My goals for 2010 laid out and written down (which "they" say is a step in the right direction for accomplishment). I hope to be able to come back here on December 31 with some good news.