Every year, it's the same thing. We give ourselves all sorts of unattainable goals for the new year, only to feel like a failure when we don't achieve them.
A few years ago, I tried a different approach. My wife and I vowed to add elements to our lives that were beneficial to us, but were also fun. That way, we would actually do them instead of giving up halfway through January.
We decided to dance more. Easy enough, right? It's fun. It's good exercise. You get to meet a lot of great people. Done.
One year, I resolved to drink more red wine. Who can't keep that resolution, right? Red wine is good for you (although I'm finding out now that it is full of carbs and possibly not very good for my migraines). Mission accomplished. I drank more red wine. The fact that my resolution for the following year was to drink less alcohol is completely unrelated.
This year, I have decided to continue the tradition of finding easily-attainable goals for the upcoming year. Here is my list:
Spend more time on the couch
Hear less Autotune™
Watch more sports
Watch more television in general
Eat out more
Work on my procrastination
Do fewer chores
Spend less time outdoors
Watch more movies
Spend less time waiting in line
Work on my sarcasm
Be more judgmental
Be more spontaneous (this one really means plan less, so it's really a win-win)
Lift fewer things (easier on the back, you know)
Do more online shopping
Play more Powerball
Eat more red meat
Spend more time sitting around doing nothing
There you have it. A comprehensive list of very attainable goals for the upcoming year. Feel free to borrow any of these gems for yourself.
But in all seriousness ...
I do have a couple of resolutions that are along the lines of things that are very easy to do and very enjoyable, yet will also enrich my life.
I want to take more pictures. I've already started this one. I used to take a lot of pictures with my old film camera. But now we have a nice Nikon DSLR, and it's time to put it to good use.
My other easily-attainable goal: Read more! I have an awful lot on my to-read list. It's time to start chopping away at that list.
I do have a few goals for 2019 that are a bit more like classic new year's resolutions. Still attainable, by all means, but slightly more work than watching more sports on television.
Write more. (I want to finish my book in 2019).
Exercise. (I've been very inactive the past few years, and it's taking its toll).
Eat healthier. (I've already gotten a jump on this one, thanks to my lovely wife. But I want to continue to eat better).
So these are my goals for the approaching new year. What are your goals? What are your aspirations? Sometimes I think it's important to use markers like the beginning of a new year to focus on doing the things that make us happy. Being happy is important, and I think it's easy to lose sight of that. So grab a glass of wine, curl up on the couch, grab the remote and find something on Netflix that you've been wanting to see. You have all next year to work on your procrastination.
Have a Happy New Year, everyone!
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
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