In with the New Year. Out with resolutions.

Every year, it seems like we all resolve to do something new for the coming year. This year I will lose weight, eat healthy, get a promotion, and buy a house…whatever it might be. It’s always some big goal that we are determined to reach with a wicked tenaciousness. In the first few months at least. We start out hitting all the targets to our goals. Keeping on track and staying high with hope and expectation. If in the end, you reach those goals, then congratulations. You are amongst the slight few that actually follow though. Not saying that most of us don’t have the willpower to succeed. But face it, things happen. Things change. Situations change and things don’t always go as planned. Therefore, if you’re like me, always making a new year’s resolution and never really reaching it, then it could end up being more of a negative thing than positive. It’s good to have goals and aspirations but at what cost?

Last year, I resolved to eat healthy, exercise, and lose weight. I stayed on track for a couple months. Well, kind of. Occasionally, I would falter and go off track. One night I couldn’t sleep so I stayed up watching movies and ate a bunch of ice cream with crushed up cookies inside. But that didn’t quite hit the spot, so I heated up a brownie and had brownie and ice cream. After I ate it, I was left feeling like a failure. As if everything that I had done up to that point was wiped away with one night of bad choices. I went to sleep and woke up the next morning feeling defeated. I was angry with myself for not eating healthier and for not following through with my plan. It affected my mood and my self-worth. So, it makes me ask myself the question, “How is this making my new year better?” How is something that started out being so exciting being twisted into this warped perception of winning or failing? I had a few more moments like that until I finally gave up, stating I couldn’t do it, and went about my normal life. Not worrying about my choices, food or resolution. I have to say, I was much happier. My days were filled with devoting extreme attention on my family. Playing with the boys, taking them places, doing things, making sure Stefan was doing good in school, feeding a flourishing relationship, etc… I had no time to worry about my diet and such. There was too much going on. So bottom line is, I stuck to my “resolution” for about 3 months. From that, I lost about 4 pounds. That’s with doing everything I possibly could to be active and healthy. I started out 2013 at about 135 pounds. Not heavy by any means. My main goal was to lose the last of the baby flab and to firm up. Now of course I got pregnant in 2013 so, in October, I started gaining pregnancy weight. But, my weight before I got pregnant (In September) was about 110. Which if you know me, is perfect for my size. I have a very small frame and I still looked and felt extremely healthy. Looking back, I realize I didn’t have to put so much stress and focus into it. My diet started out delicious but I was so deprived of the foods I wanted and in the times when I felt the most weak and had the biggest cravings, I would cave in and eat more than anything. By throwing away my resolution and just living my life, I ended up unintentionally reaching my goals. Things just happened. I guess if something is meant to be, it will happen. It doesn’t matter what the goal or resolution is.

So why don’t we all just throw resolutions to the wind this year? How about we focus on just trying to be better people. Let’s focus on “paying it forward”. Or maybe being a more patient parent or having a new attitude and thinking positively. Let’s resolve to help people in need. Stop being petty. Stop talking about people behind their back. Perhaps cut down on cursing. Baby steps are key. Or, if you must resolve to a huge goal, break it down into baby steps (a bunch of small goals to equal one big goal). That way, you’ll have many small accomplishments and it might make it easier to accomplish. There’s no use on starting out a new year with stress of a resolution picking at the back of your brain. Do yourself a favor, just live 2014 to the fullest. Live, Laugh, Love, and ENJOY LIFE!