In the closing days of each year, I very ceremoniously sit down to reflect on the year gone by and create a list of all the things that I wish to achieve in the coming year. I write it out, discuss my goals with those around me and post it up somewhere visible. Then each January 1st, I wake up with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation to make my life better than it was the year before and I’m off and running.
That is for a couple weeks or so until my enthusiasm and motivation begin to waver and I gradually slip back into old habits... Sounds familiar?
It could be very easy to join the ranks of skeptics out there who decry: Why make New Year’s resolutions? They don’t work. Nothing ever changes. You’re just setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
It is true that my goals look pretty much the same from year to year with a few minor changes here and there. Drink less, eat less, move more, drink more water, take time for myself, be happy, etc. They look the same because I very rarely accomplish these goals in a given year. So what is the point? What are they meant to accomplish?
People make New Year’s resolutions and goals for the future because they want to improve their lives. Essentially they want to be their best selves. Think if everyone was committed to being their best, even if only part of the time! When you are your best self, you are confident and happy! When you are happy, the positivity you exude affects those around you. Imagine a world where everyone is spreading positive energy. What is wrong with aspiring to be a better person and in the process creating a better world?
New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad rap. I reject the attitude that New Year’s resolutions are pointless. I am an optimist. I believe that life is what you make it. I am also a work in progress. They say that the more often you try at something the more likely you are to succeed. The more I try, the more likely one or two of my resolutions are bound to stick eventually. And in retrospect, I have accomplished a lot in life by setting goals and working towards them.
I won’t give up on you, New Year’s resolutions, whether the said goal takes one year or a lifetime to achieve. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So what on earth does any of this have to do with my blog? Well, that was my intro into my New Year’s resolutions. The following are my goals for 2014, meant to reinforce and renew my commitment to an ethical omnivore lifestyle... I know, sometimes it takes me awhile to get to the point.
Here they are:
1) Do not waste food. Keep an inventory of food I have and plan meals to avoid spoilage.
2) Continue to explore new ingredients, recipes, food preparation & preservation techniques.
3) Don’t give up on my garden. Keep working to improve the soil and actively seek the gardening expertise of others.
4) Learn, learn, learn. Continue to educate myself on our food system. Continue to experiment with and implement creative alternatives.
Happy New Year! May 2014 be your best year yet!
What are your resolutions?
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