Happy New Year's! Lots of wonderful things have happened in the past year and I am giddy with excitement as I anticipate an even better 2011.
It is always intriguing to observe people at the turn of a new year. No matter what the previous year held, there is always a renewed sense of hope that this "new slate" brings. We come by this naturally I think – the first 18- 20+ years of our life we are engrossed in education which segments our lives into constant stepping stones that include change, growth and fresh starts. Once we decide our education is complete, we enter the working world where we start a job – and remain there indefinitely (in most cases, anyway!) We have been trained to look forward to and adapt to change. It could be argued we need it, and the new page that New Year's brings fills that void.
I have never been one to attract to trends. In fact just the opposite is true – just because something is overtly "trendy" I will probably stray away. I don't know what it is, but looking or being just like everybody I see around me doesn't seem appealing. For a while now, New Year's Resolutions have fallen into that category. I don't believe I have ever used this time to set goals, and if I have, I know for sure that I have never followed through long term on them.
This year I am putting my jaded view of popular trends behind me and I am setting a few goals. You may have heard of this before as this is definitely not original to me, but there is a theory of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and timely. You cannot keep yourself accountable if there are no parameters, and you set yourself up for failure if your goals are inappropriate.
My goals for 2011 (well, the ones I want to tell you about anyway…)
- Force myself outside my comfort zone at least 1 time per day
- Eliminate pointless spending of money
- Try 3 new recipes a month
- Be at the gym 4+ days a week
I am very excited for the opportunities that 2011 will bring – I pray that (you and) I will take hold of these opportunities and make the most of them. Lady Antebellum sings a song entitled "I Was Here." Here are some of the lyrics as they seem appropriate.
I wanna do something that matters, say something different
Something that sets the whole world on its ear
I wanna do something better with the time I've been given
I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life
Leave nothing less than something that says "I was here"
And remember…
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." –C.S. Lewis
