I have long given up on having New Year’s resolutions. There was a time when, every year, a few days before Jan. 1 comes, I’d sit down somewhere quiet and list down the things I wanted to change about myself for the coming year. And yes, almost 100% of the time, January hasn’t even ended and I’ve broken at least one of my resolutions.
For example, I would resolve to lose weight and eat healthily (this is a constant on my list! haha). But what do I do on the first day of the year? I would gorge on the leftover food from the previous night’s celebrations. So the whole year would just be this whole cycle of falling off track, getting back on…and so on and so forth. I usually end up discouraged and disappointed with myself.
This year, I decided to do away with New Year’s resolutions. I don’t have a list of things I want to change about myself. What I have is just one word. Yep, ONE word that will be guiding me in all things this year. Before you tell me I’m brilliant for coming up with this idea, this thing has been around for quite a while, and a lot of people have been doing this. Check out Stephanie’s article on having a guiding word.
So for 2014, my guiding word is (drumroll, please!)….MINDFUL. It’s a simple word, that just means I’m fully aware and conscious of what I’m doing, or saying, thinking, or even eating. This year, I want to make sure that I’ve put a lot of thought into whatever I’m doing. For example, before taking a big bite out of that tempting chocolate cake, I’ll think hard if it’s really worth it to have the sugar reaction I know will come after. Or maybe, before reacting to what I read on Twitter or Facebook, I’ll think if it’s worth the time and stress to say something.
But does this mean I’m suddenly going to be an all out sunny, Zen-like, annoyingly optimistic person? No, not really. I’ll just be making a more conscious effort to think about what I’m going to be doing or saying. I’m sure I will have some bouts of irritation and anger, but hopefully thinking of my guiding word will help rein it in.
That being said, I feel optimistic about this year. I think there’s going to be a lot of changes for me in different aspects of my life, and I’m sure having my guiding word will help make these changes bearable, and my goals for the year easier to achieve.
What are you looking forward to doing this year? Do you make New Year’s resolutions or do you want to try just having a guiding word for the year? Let me know, and let’s keep each other updated!
