2012, The Year of No Resolutions

Updated on June 4, 2024

Every year, I jump on the new year’s resolution bandwagon – write about 10 lofty changes I want to make in the new year – only to have them fizzle out around January 15 when real life has resumed and I can’t keep up with all the changes. I wrote out my resolutions for 2011. I have worked on some, but others completely fell by the wayside.

What do I love about the new year? I love a fresh start. The new year, the spring, beginning of the school year – these times always signal a fresh start and new beginnings. But really, each day, each hour, each minute, each second is a new beginning.

You have a goal written down, but do you ever stop to think about how you are going to make it happen and when you want to have it completed? It is easy to eat right, go to the gym and stop drinking soda for a week or two, or maybe even a month, but then what happens when your regular life and old habits get in the way?

Losing 15 pounds is a reasonable goal, but you need a plan for how you are going to get there. And you need to set a date for when you want to be at the finish line. Most experts say to lose 1 – 2 pounds a week to have the best chance of keeping it off for good. So erring on the side of caution, let’s say it will take you 15 weeks to lose the weight – that brings you to about the middle of April to have that weight gone if you start January 1.

Now you have made this resolution a reality. You have steps in place for the how and you are motivated for the why.

So this year, instead of resolving to do anything, I am writing out goals for myself in different areas of my life that I want to improve on – personal, marriage/kids, household management, financial, my blog/Etsy, and extended family and friend relationships.

I found a great printable for goal planning at Money Saving Mom. It was exactly what I was looking for to document my goals and keep track of how I am going to get there.