RESOLUTIONS, not of the pixel kind!

RESOLUTIONS

I'm Going To Lose Weight!

You know how it is, you've heard it every year since who knows when, 'What are YOUR new year's resolutions?' and every year you say the same old thing, to go on a diet, get healthy, (those two are usually first on the 'list'), quit smoking, quit drinking, get out of debt, spend more time with family, have more fun and so on. Most people say things like that. Yes, those are the usual objectives which we wholeheartedly believe and PLAN on implementing at the beginning of each new year, yes indeed! We resolve to change our lives drastically and improve it dramatically!

But what happens in about, ohh, two or three weeks from now? Where did those vows of becoming a 'better' you disappear to? What happened to that energetic spark that was going to last and last the whole new year through? What happened to the new you, the one who you were going to change into?

Resolutions

I don't really like the word 'resolutions' because it's always been a source of negativity to me. It denotes failure. YES, failure, and that's a huge negative in my book! It's probably because I'm just like so many others in this world who cannot, for the life of me, stick to a life changing plan for a week, let alone a year!

Am I that much of a creature of habit? Am I that much of a lazy ne'r do well? Am I that weak? Am I expecting way too much of myself? Did it take many years to get to where I am with me and thinking that I can change it all within the next few weeks to a year, is that being realistic? Don't I really like myself the way I am just fine? Well, yea, I do! Where did this resolution stuff start and why do I even care about it?

Of course I would love to have the best year ever! I would love to be better than ever! I would love for things to come easy for me too, but starting the new year off by stating that I'm going to do 'this and that' RIGHT NOW and then really following through with 'this and that' is NOT easy. Not for me. Not for you.

Planning On A Plan?

You can PLAN on making plans and you can plan on making mistakes and not following through with your plans too. You can say that you'll get diary, keep a journal, mark on a calendar, do something to keep track of your goals and how you are proceeding and fulfilling those goals. Although, even that gets to be a drag sooner or later. So you stop. You skip a few days and say, 'Oh, I'll catch up.' but you never do and that plan falls to the wayside.

You can call on a friend and ask them to help you to keep track of how well you are keeping track of how you are resolving to change your life. (If you can keep that straight, you are ahead of the game!) But, generally speaking, friends have lives too. Life can get in the way and friends can sometimes have other, more important-not that you aren't-priorities, it's just the way it is! So this plan falls to the wayside too.

Be Positive!

Nope, I don't set myself up for failure so I don't make new year's resolutions.  That's simply against everything I am because I don't want to feel like a failure in ANY aspect of my life. Making a bunch of 'resolutions' that I know dang well I ain't gonna keep, weighing myself down, is not the way I want to start out my new year. I like to start out my new year on a very positive and hopeful note so, instead, I use a POSITIVE word. I like to think of this time of the year as a time to make 'REINFORCEMENTS'. I can handle that term better. To me, it denotes that I have something good going on already and that I am going to add positive actions and ideas to that something 'good' and make it even better. Resolving something sounds like it was previously bad, negative! Not winning! (I know, ugh!)

Positive: I plan on eating more healthy foods. Negative: I plan on going on a strict diet, quitting sugar, fats, ice cream, candy, sweets, everything I love. (Oh, how terribly negative and depressing ... this is a failure, I can just feel it)

Postive: I plan on walking more often, with a friend! Negative: I plan on walking three miles a day and increasing that until I'm walking ten miles a day by the month of _________. (I'm tired and sore already and I haven't begun!)

Accepting Change Is Reinforcement

You know that with every little positive habit comes more positive habits. Your brain just feels so good about the good changes that it wants to do more! So, whether you choose to practice resolutions or positive reinforcement to your 'already postive' ways, the inevitable outcome is change. Positive change, positive reinforcement.

We must change something in our lives, our thoughts, our habits and our 'ways' to create changes in our life's outcome. If we want to live a happier, more fulfilling life, we promise ourselves (not others) that we will practice more positive ways every day. No lists, no plans, just be positive, doing something positive for yourself or for another every day that you can. Take that extra step and soon that will lead to another and another positive step in your life as well as others.

When you accept change, welcome it and embrace it, it will become easier to change as you need to, and always for the better! Remember too, that you are not doing any of this for anyone else. Your life is your own and putting yourself out there for others to judge, (and they will) or having others 'compare' you with them or what you did previosly or whatever, only puts a negative spin on your goals.

   I will reinforce myself with more hope, more happiness and more positive attitude in my daily living and in the things I do. I am changing my life by creating new beginnings by reinforcing my ways.