To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question

Ahh, resolutions. Those pesky promises we make to ourselves at the start of a new year- to lose weight, to spend less, to call home a little more often. You know the drill and you also know that by March, your new treadmill is serving more as a laundry rack and your attempts to budget are on hold until the Christmas bills are paid.

So why do we make resolutions in the first place?

The answer to that became very clear to me today. We resolve to do better, to be better, because even if we fail, we're still a little better than we were before. And a little better is still better, right?

If I resolve to save $1000 but I only manage to bank $500, I'm still 500 better off than I was before. If I resolve to lose 10 pound but I only lose 5, I'm still a little more healthy and a little more happy than I was before. I guess it all boils down to this: whether you move a step, a jump, or a leap, you're still moving toward something better.

I think a large part of keeping resolutions is accountability and tracking. That's where you come in! I'm hoping that if I publish my resolutions here and talk about them from time to time, I'll be more likely to keep them. So, here they are... my 2013 resolutions.

I resolve to do a random act of kindness each day. Yesterday, I left coupons on products at Wal-Mart. (There's nothing wrong with a little head start, right?) Today,  I rented the movie Robert wanted instead of the chick flick I wanted. I'm not sure if that really counts as a RAK but given that his movie picking privileges were revoked after the last movie he chose, I think it should.

I resolve to save more money. I'm sure I need a concrete value on this one but I haven't gotten that quite figured out yet.

I resolve to move more and eat less junk. Since Robert got home, I've put on a few pounds and it's time to get the jiggle out of my middle. I can't say I'll work out every day or that I'll get back on the P90X or Insanity bandwagons but I'm going to do something, even if it's just chasing Chet around in the yard. And eat less junk? Yeah, we'll see how well the posterchild for 'I love cold pizza and brownies for breakfast' does with that one! :)

Again this year, I resolve to try new things. I am such a creature of habit- I park on the same row every time I go to the store, I order the same thing when I eat out, I wear the same outfits every week. I am starting to think maybe I'm boring! I resolve to branch out, spend a little more time outside the box, and to see what I'm missing.

And finally, I resolve to think a little longer before I respond, to be a little more open-minded, and to be a little more patient. I am usually running around in a hurry, trying to multi-task and do too many things at once. I tend to want everyone to move at the same speed of blur that I do. I think it's high time that I stop to smell the roses and that I let everyone else enjoy them too. 

I hope you'll make some resolutions and that they will propel you toward a little better version of the wonderful you that you already are. I hope your 2013 will be something amazing, something memorable... something MORE. See you in the new year! :)