No Year's Resolutions

You can probably tell by the title what this one is going to be about. I think I have stated for the past couple years that I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. There are several reasons for this, number one being that I try very hard not to lie, and as soon as I make a resolution, I just lied. I have much better luck with something if I don’t make a ‘resolution’ to do it. Second, I have found that instead of saying I am going to accomplish this or that specific thing, it is much more doable to say I am going to improve in some area. I have found some success with this technique where I cannot remember a single resolution I have ever kept.

I believe that it is also important to know why you are making your resolutions or setting your goals and if you have in mind a plan to accomplish those goals. You can say, “I’m going to lose 50 pounds so I can look good, I’m going to do keto or Wegovy and it will all just drop off.” If you said that to me, I would know in the back of my mind that there is very little chance you will lose anything, and you may even gain over the next year. How do I know? I’ve been there. I have tried just about everything. I haven’t tried the weight loss shots, but that is about all I haven’t tried. Keto is great for about a week when you realize that almost everything you like besides steak, bacon, and chicken has carbs. A couple years ago, I decided to join my sister and a couple of friends in cutting out all sugar for the month of January. We were told how much better we would feel if we could get on a no sugar diet and get all of that poison flushed out of our systems. Well, I did it, and I think I accidentally cheated once because I forgot, and someone brought something in to work and gave me one. I didn’t lose a single pound. I was incredibly cranky all month, and didn’t feel a bit better. So, not all things work for all people. I’ve thought about the shots, my problem is that I hate, hate, hate needles. Also, I have been told that most people gain it all back when they get off of them. So, I see a nutritionist once a month. I always feel like I am going to the principal’s office when I go see her. Thankfully she is very nice and encouraging and can’t punish me in any way. What I have learned from her is how to eat with my likes and dislikes, with my lifestyle, and basically on my own terms but while getting energy and nutrition without too many calories. Also adding exercise and food journaling is important and plenty of sleep. I am getting more sleep since I have started a regular bedtime during the week, I am starting to exercise more regularly, but I totally suck at journaling. Anyway, my point is, I am trying to improve my health through careful nutrition and movement, the natural way. I can say that I am doing much better than when I set this as a goal last January.

Last year I had recently made a new friend who made a huge impression on me. More than anything, he made me want to be a better person. Because of some of our talks, I have been able to see things in a different light. One thing I never heard from him was complaining. Though he had so much bad going on around him and people coming at him from every direction, he never complained. It made me feel so guilty that my life was so good in comparison, and I complained way too much. One of my goals was to stop complaining. I haven’t stopped completely, but I am so much better than I was, and I am still a work in progress. I also never heard him speak ill of anyone. I am having a harder time of that one, but I’m getting better. We would talk about the Bible and compare thoughts on religious issues. I am much more interested in the Bible, Church, and my relationship with God than I was a year ago. My goal for 2025 is to continue to improve in all of these areas.

2024 has been good and bad for me. My hair is much longer now. I have been wanting to grow it out for years and could never get it past the yucky stage before I gave up. Sometime all it takes is a little encouragement from the right person. I’m glad I stuck with it. I just wish I could keep it out of my face and all would be good. Things are going good at work. I think our department is all a great group that works well together, and we are making some great improvements. I even got to coordinate and facilitate a ten-part leadership course this year. I may be doing more teaching in the future. I have been on some dates, with the same guy, and we liked each other very much. Maybe someday we can reconnect. At least I know there is actually someone out there who is compatible. On the bad side of things, I had a bad leak in my house and part of my floor almost fell in. So that wasn’t fun or cheap to deal with. I found someone I really liked and had to give him up. My car wasn’t behaving and my dislike for my two-year old car was growing quickly. Two weeks ago, I traded my Toyota in for a GMC. I named it George. I really like George, which I hate the fact that I like a GMC over a Toyota, but it is what it is.

In 2025, I don’t have any huge plans. I want to write more. I want to continue to work on my health and wellness with better nutrition, exercise, meditation, reading, etc. I want to do better things with my garden this year. My house will be paid off before the end of the year which will be amazing. I want to get rid of a lot of things that don’t mean anything to me and use the things that do. I want to read my Bible more and pray more. I want to spend less and conserve more. Mostly I just want to be a better person. I want to stop those things that turn people off. I want to be able to listen attentively and only offer advice if wanted. I want to be a better friend, daughter, sister, employee, co-worker, and Christian.

So, I am setting no New Year’s resolutions, I am making goals for self-improvement. If you set resolutions, I wish you the best of luck in keeping them. If you don’t, I put you on the wise list, or the ‘I just don’t care’ list. I just wish that everyone who takes the time to read this has a safe, happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2025. May God bless us all for another year.