5 New Year's Resolutions I Wish I Made a Year Ago
You know those people who say they have no regrets? I really don’t like them. Okay, not really, but I really don’t like that statement. It’s a lie and we all know it. All of us, in some way, have things that we would happily go back and do over if we could.
I love intention setting, goals and plans. I can’t help myself - they make me happy. As I was looking ahead at 2019, I had this quick thought - what am I doing now that I wish I started sooner? What has changed my life in the past year in a positive way? There are a few standouts that I want to share with you. I’m not saying you should do these things, but if there’s something on your mind or on your heart that you think you want to start, stop, try… Do it. Don’t wait.
1) Stop Drinking Diet Coke: I had my last Diet Coke on July 4th, 2018. I drank Diet Coke daily from childhood. It was my stress drink, morning drink, evening drink, “I want to go to a bar but don’t want to get drunk” drink… If you knew me at all, you knew I loved Diet Coke (fountain, then can, then bottle - in that order). On July 7th, 2018 I went to a week-long hiking retreat in the mountains of Canada that completely shifted the way I looked at diet, exercise and wellness. You can read all about it here and listen to my podcast about it here. They asked us to go off of caffeine 3 days before we arrived. So I had my last DC on the 4th, thinking I would pick it back up when I finished the retreat. Then I spent a week really caring about my body, learning about it and listening to it. And I didn’t want to go back. Diet Coke was always my guilty pleasure and something I knew was pure poison. It was the easiest decision to not go back to it and I’ve only craved one about 1 or 2 times since then. That was 6 months ago. I’m really proud of kicking that bad habit and I wish I had done it sooner.
2) Meditate: I’m a horrible meditator. The minute we sit cross-legged and get quiet…my nose itches. Then I feel a funny tickle near my ear. Then I can’t stop thinking, “do I itch it or do I sit still? Do tickles go away on their own? I should itch it…then I can focus…” I know the importance of meditation but I didn’t know how to fit it into my day. Meditating at home didn’t work for me. Then one morning I was at the gym and I saw a guy sitting, cross legged, earphones in, eyes closed…on the stretching area. Bingo! I would roll meditation into my morning fitness routine. Done. I do it every day now and it’s only for a few minutes (because come on that’s major improvement you guys) and I’m so into it.
3) Go to the Gym in the Morning: I don’t know about you, but here’s how it goes: if I work out in the morning, it takes an extra hour of my morning. If I work out at night, it takes my entire night. But getting up early and walking the 12 minutes to the gym, working out, then coming home and getting ready for work just seemed like so much effort. I would tell myself in the morning that I would go to the gym right after work. Then I would get a text that afternoon asking me to join for happy hour and y’all know how much I love a skinny margarita… See??? So basically I never worked out. Equinox (my gym) has this thing on the app that shows your activity including what days of the month you checked into the gym. Well that’s terrifying. In summer 2018, I spent a week at hiking retreat in Canada (see above) and I made a dedication then to be more consistent with my fitness. And I knew the only way to do that was to start working out in the mornings. And so I did. It was easier in summer - it’s light early and it’s nice and warm. These cold, dark winter mornings…not so much. But I’m still doing it. It just took a couple of weeks of really pushing myself to do it and now I feel weird if I DON’T workout before work. Just to give you a little perspective: in May 2018 I checked into my gym 4 times. FOUR. In November…26. TWENTY SIX. Fist. Bump.
4) Think Twice Before You Spend: I’m pretty spontaneous. I book trips with very little research, I commit to a membership of some type with very little thought about the annual cost, heck I got a tattoo at 19 with ZERO advance consideration…. It’s still there. On my hip. Loud and proud. This year, I found myself in a cycle of signing contracts, joining memberships and buying things online with very little thought. And it cost me hundreds. I remember realizing one day that I was out of control. I had this weird fear that if I didn’t commit to the membership, buy the thing or book the tickets right at that moment, the opportunity would go away. Not true. So I put the brakes on. Okay, I just put the brakes on last week, but still… So my resolution for this year is to think before I spend. Take a breath. Take a week. Think about it first.
5) Be Easier. On Everyone. The thing with Type A overachievers is that we can really suck and be terrible people. Not really. But kind of. We’re hard on ourselves because we want to be our best, but that can also translate to being hard on others. The thing is, when you’re hard on yourself it feels like “leveling up" and motivation and goal-setting and all of that fun stuff. When you’re hard on others it just feels defeating and exhausting and like no one is ever good enough. Part of my intention setting for this year is to be easier on everyone. My family (you’re welcome, Mom), my friends, the people I love the most. I wish I had done that sooner. 2018 had a few soft spots because I was overly critical of some of the people I hold the closest. This is the year of easy. But if you really want some tough love you know where to find me…
I’m really proud of the past year. Super proud, in fact. I’m officially a Diet Coke-free, meditating, morning workout girl who’s thinking before she spends and keeping her big fat opinions to herself. It feels good.
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