Happy New Year everyone! I realize we’re halfway through January already, and I probably should have posted this earlier, but, if only for my own sake, I thought I would share with you all some of my New Year’s resolutions for 2014.
I’ve never really been one for making New Year’s resolutions. In the past I might have said something like “watch less TV” or “don’t fight with your sister as much”. Whether or not I kept to those resolutions is hard to judge, but I can tell you that, like most New Year’s resolutions, they weren’t on my mind by the end of January. Maybe this year my resolutions are different because of all the goal-setting I’ve done here. Or maybe I’m just growing up and becoming more responsible (hah). Whatever the reason, this New Year’s I compiled quite the list of intentions for 2014.
I wrote these out in my journal on New Year’s.
The first category of resolutions for the year is food:
– Eat mindfully. (Acknowledge the energy that went into my meal and also, be mindful when you’re eating: don’t eat in front of the TV, browsing the internet, etc.)
– Try more seafood. (Since coming to Ecuador I’ve been eating seafood and it’s not half bad. I can’t wait to go back to Maine and try more seafood.)
– Cook for others. (It makes me so happy and helps with my other intentions of flexing my creativity more.)
– Host a dinner party. (see above)
– Eat more meatless meals. (I don’t think I could go back to vegetarianism, but I will encourage myself and my family to eat less meat. It really should be more like a side dish than the main course.)
– Eat real breakfast. (In Ecuador, I sit down every morning with my family to have our café and pan. This means no more running out of the house with leftover pie to eat in the car.)
– Eat slower. (I eat too fast.)
– Memorize 12 recipes. (I’d like to start building on my cooking knowledge.)
The second category is creativity. While I am innately a creative person (I think we all are), I often feel I lack the time and effort to exercise my creativity.
– Keep up with my art journal. (I journal with not only words, but also many other mediums.)
– Explore my photography. (I love my camera and I will bring it out more and explore the creativity it allows me.)
– Work on watercolors. (It’s definitely my worst medium. I should take a class or something.)
– Complete some crafty projects. (I have quite the list of these just waiting to be completed.)
– Dance. (We dance so much in Ecuador, I hope to keep it up.)
The third category is the most popular New Year’s resolutions category: health.
– Do yoga. (once a week, maybe take a few classes)
– Run every day for a week. (If I still hate it, I may quit.)
– Do mindfulness meditations. (I don’t have to sit and hum, but I do have to take time to observe with all my senses and not think about anything.)
– Play more tennis. (It’s got to happen.)
My final resolutions don’t really fall into one category.
– Go camping with Auralee. (a little sister bonding time before I leave again for college)
– Go on a trip alone. (I believe it is important to know how to be alone.)
– Keep up with your Spanish. (This is more like a life intention. I do not want to lose the skills I have gained this year.)
– Read 12 books. (one per month, just for fun)
– Live more like a minimalist. (Don’t take a ton of unnecessary things to college, clean out my wardrobe, etc.)
So that’s about it. I hope I didn’t bore you. My advice to you would be, whether you made resolutions for 2014 or not, keep setting intentions for yourself. And don’t do it alone, use your network of supporters to hold yourself accountable, as I hope that you all will do for me. Happy New Year!
