Happy 2016!
So I’m a little late to the punch on the New Year wishes around here, but better late than not at all, right?
For the past eight years now, instead of joining so many of the masses and making grand statements and lists of Resolutions, I’ve marched to my own drum and made up a list of Non Resolutions. Okay, so you might say, “but isn’t that still a different kind of pressure, one that you were trying to avoid by making a list of things you claimed to do in the new year, by making a list of things you will try not to do?” And yeah, it is kinda/sorta the same thing, but to me, the different spin on it seems to make a little more sense. If I don’t win on one of my Non Resolutions, then for whatever reason, to me, it doesn’t seem like as much as a big fat fail as if I don’t accomplish a big ole’ regular Resolution.
You with me?
So, here I go again. But before I make my little list of things I resolve not to do this year, I have to say that 2015 has been good to me, and to my loved ones. I celebrated weddings and engagements with dear friends, welcomed new babies into the world with other friends, ran a handful of races, worked to make our new house feel more like a home over the past year we have lived here, drank some really good beers on sunny patios and decks throughout the warm months, traveled a little bit here and there, nurtured friendships and my relationship, delved deeper into a meditation practice, and most recently, 2015 was the year we made little baby M&M and shared the news that he or she will be making their debut May of this year.
It’s been a good year overall, with many highs and a few lows (to keep the balance in check over here seeing as how that is the theme of this blog and all). I feel blessed and grateful for what has passed, and excited for what’s to come.
Without further blabbing on and on, here are my 2016 Non Resolutions (some have made the list eight years going strong)…
In 2016 I resolve not to:
- Get sucked into worry. Every year this one has made the list. I know, deep down the vicious cycle of worry I can get myself wrapped up in if I let myself, and I know even more, so much of worry has to do with choice. I can choose to dwell, or I can choose to try to just be, try to live in the moment and have faith, that things will all work out as they are meant to. Easier said than done, 95% of the time for me, but it is still something I can continually work on. And resolve NOT to get sucked into, over and over. I’ll share my favorite quote by Michael J. Fox as I have done in past years…
“If you get caught up in the worst case scenario and it doesn’t happen, you’ve wasted your time. And if you are caught up in the worst case scenario and it does happen, you’ve lived it twice.”
- Let things pile up as much. This includes, but isn’t limited to: laundry, junk mail, worry (ahem), chores, and clothes I need to put away.
- Interrupt. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it, and truthfully, I do it more out of excitement rather than thinking what I have to say is better than what someone else is sharing. It’s an annoying habit and it’s something I want to be better about (still- second year in a row for this one).
- Think too much about what other people think. (Unless it really counts. Like it obviously matters what my boss thinks if I show up to work late every day.) But other things- things like following my gut and being true to myself and then not overanalyzing what others think of my decisions. This year I want to really embrace the mentality of being true to me, doing what’s best for me, and knowing in my heart that if that’s what’s ringing true to me, then what other people think shouldn’t matter.
- Go a week without meditation, or yoga. Both make me feel wonderful. It’s lame to let a week go by without doing one or the other. No excuses there. It’s a must!
- Go a week without exercise. This one should be easy, as I can’t remember the last time this has happened anyway, but I know that with a little one on the way, excuses might come easy, but it will be a priority of mine to make some sort of movement on the regular.
- Lastly, be so hard on myself. (Again, a regular on the list.) Life is tough, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves. I want to be kind to myself, as kind as I would be a dear friend. Nicer self talk. Less judgement. More self compassion, less comparison.
I think that’s a good start. Would you care to join me in sharing your Non Resolutions for 2016?