2015 Resolutions

It's that time again, when everyone decides they're going to hit the gym, lose 20 pounds, start some sort of self-improvement project or other, right? I've seen people talking about their list of intentions, or their goals for the year, a few people are still calling them resolutions (but I guess that's just totally 2014?). Whatever you call them, I like the practice of taking stock & explicitly stating what I want to do during the year.

I often find my resolutions can become more of a to do list, or they're too vague to really be trackable. This year I'm trying to stick to fairly concrete things that I can assess the success of, or habits I want to get into. Here's my list:

1. Be more conscious of my language in front of the kids. Not just swearing, but using negative words like stupid, etc, that they pick up so easily.
2. Take better care of myself. I feel like in 2014 I really let this slide & my life suffered for it. A big part of this is doing my physio exercises as close to daily as I can get so I can get past this hip pain once & for all, then start going to fitness classes again. Going to massage at least monthly is another big part of this.
3. Put a bit more effort into Spokesmama.com. I'd like to get into a rhythm of blogging five times a week. I have done over a year of seven-day-a-week blogging, & then had another year or so of slacking off, so somewhere in the middle would be good for me right now. More consistent social media promotion of the blog is a goal too, along with writing more bike related posts. I want to shift in this direction, focussing a little more on family cycling, but old habits of using this space mainly as a diary & baby book are hard to break.
4. Volunteering. It just feels really good to do this when I can squeeze it in. I want to do at least one event for Modo, keep up with my Mount Pleasant Family Centre Board of Directors work, both of which I've been doing in past years. This year I also want to donate blood at least four times. My first blood donation appointment is set for January, so we're off to a good start. I feel like this is really important. I am eligible to donate & it's something I can make the time for every couple of months or so. It only takes an hour or so but can make such a huge difference in someone else's life.
5. Spend more time with family & friends. Specifically hosting them for dinner/lunch/brunch at least monthly. The get-together we hosted in the holidays reminded me how much I like seeing everyone & how infrequently we've been doing that in the past year or so. I want to try to see everyone a lot more in 2015. 

So there you have it: five items, or really five categories of things to work on. I could probably have added in quite a few more, but I think these are the most important ones. 

Do you make resolutions (or intentions or goals or a To Do list) this time of year? If so, what does your list look like? I'd love to hear about it in the comments...

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