Just say NO to New Year's Resolutions

I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to wake up on January 1st and suddenly become a different person from the one I was the night before. Besides guys; we're just getting over Christmas. Isn't it enough that we've just had to say goodbye to family members and/or dear friends for another year then jump right into an all out un-decorating/de-cluttering frenzy while at the same time trying to come off a ginormous sugar-high or a week-long hangover? That's a lot of pressure to put on ourselves, people!
.

It's not that I don't need to change -- and pronto! Sure -- just like some others of you out there, I ate several kilos of chocolate, a vat or two of wine, and I didn't always tell the kids about the chips 'n' dip. And yes, I also have a little evil twin that sits on my shoulder and calls me things like "Mme Porkchop", "Lard Arse" and "Greedy Guts".

But give it all up! -- just like that! --- the moment I crawl out of bed on Jan 1st!

.

Can't do it! Won't do it! I tried in the past, and after 56 years of personal experience I can honestly tell you that it doesn't work for me. The only cold turkey that I have anything to do with these days is that presently sitting on my abs and thighs!

.

So, I gave up making New Year's Resolutions many, many years ago. Actually, it wasn't that I "gave up" making them as much as I realized that change for the better is something that I can try at any time. And because I'm an expert on falling off the wagon, I know it's okay for me to "try, try again"! God is patient with us, people; we should do the same for us.

.

Today I came across a post which just reinforces these feelings. I was reading fellow blogger Tish Jett at A Femme d'Un Certain Age and here's what her post said:

.
Psychoanalyst Valérie Blanco is against New Year's resolution lists. She believes it puts too much pressure on us and sets us up for failure and disappointment -- and we all know the results of those feelings. She suggests instead, a list of, not the promises to myself "I should do," but rather "what I would like to do; what would make me happy."

.

If you won't listen to me, people, for goodness sake, listen to the expert. We need a happy list; a set of good-for-you goals! And we need to be kind to ourselves, give ourselves time to achieve them and forgive ourselves if we fall.

.

When I think about what makes me happy, chocolate and red wine are on the list. But because over-indulgence doesn't make me happy, moderation and temperance are in brackets. Exercise makes me happy because it gives me energy and takes away my aches and pains. Organization and letting-in-all-go must be balanced; and showing the people I care about that I love them makes me happy.

.

I've found the perfect poster. This pretty well encompasses all of my happy goals: