As 2019 comes close to the end and another year is about to begin I am at the usual dilemma I face. I do not believe in "Resolutions" as such. The whole "New year, New me" thing just seems futile. There are so many people who decide on a New Years resolution like "I will go to the gym every single day, and loose 10 kgs." Though I am totally for that! (especially if you sign up for Anytime Fitness) But in truth those resolutions are realistic.
Questions you need to ask yourself when creating resolutions
1. Are you able to sustain this goal?
Many resolutions fall flat after the first month because people don't look at the longevity of keeping the goal. If you look at the goal and think "hmm that is going to take a lot of effort to sustain" or even "there is no way I can sustain that for a long time" then adjusting the resolution may be in order.
2. Is it achieveable?
If you are wanting to be able to run a marathon mid way through the year but have no way to train for it, and your goal is to come first.... is this achievable? I am all for creating a high standard for a goal. But it also needs to be able to achieved, even with a lot of hard work.
3.What factors do you need to take in to account to achieve it?
If your goal is to start back at the gym for instance, but you have kids and a partner who works long hours. Who is going to care for the kids so you can go to the gym? This needs to be thought about too. Talking to your "tribe" about your resolutions can really help with nutting out these issues.
4. Are you willing to keep it up all year round?
The idea of a resolution is something you want to achieve within the following year, or something you want to do continuously. When creating a resolution is it something that you can achieve all year round? Or is it something you are going to work up to? Or is it something you know is going to be a one off and maybe needs to be thought out more? This is extremely important when working out resolutions.
5. Is it something you truly want?
This is the most important one. Is this something you truly want? As in, if your resolution is to run 5km, but you don't really like running is it something that you really need to achieve then? If you really want it, you are more likely to try and achieve it. Think about your "why" what makes you want it? That will help in creating a goal or a resolution.
Creating a visual
Having a visual for your resolutions is a great way to obtain them. If you continuously see what you are wanting to achieve you are reminding yourself to focus on them.
Below is a template for creating your resolutions. In each box you can put one resolution. There are 9 boxes in total and a guide to filling in each box can be:
Family related
Partner related
Work related
Health related
Fitness related
Holiday related
Kid related
Extra (household)
Extra (New lifestyle choice)
The above list is just a guide to give you some ideas. You could choose 4 fitness related ones, or only 1. It is truly your choice. But all must be achievable and well thought out.
My New Years Resolutions
Below is how I used the above template to create my own New Years Resolutions. Each of these are things I have focused on this year, and will be continuing next year.
1. Travel somewhere as a family (Holiday)
This is something MJL and I have discussed a bit. We want to take the kids away on a holiday once bubs is just a little bit older and can enjoy it more. Travelling with kids isn't an easy task, so it is something we will need to plan out completely. Hopefully plan it with accompanying babysitters!
2. Eat healthy as possible (health)
This is something I am doing at the moment. Overall we are eating a lot better. However, Life can get in the way at times. Eating healthy 100% of the time isn't achievable. Diets never work for us. But eating healthy as possible does.
3. Gym three times a week
This is something that has required thought for babysitters. Morning gym sessions work at the moment. When returning to work night workouts, or maybe during the day on days off will need to be taken into action.
4. Begin casual teaching
This one is more the enviable than a goal. It has to happen. But its a challenge in itself. I would love to stay at home until bubs goes to school. Financially that just isn't sustainable. So back to teaching I go.
5. Continue writing my blog
This is something I would love to keep doing. It is something I have enjoyed so much this year and I really want to keep it up. The blog posts may change slightly next year, with work starting back and the juggle of two kids and jobs... Wish me luck!
6. Write 1 blog post a week
To be able to continue my blog, I have to write blog posts. Who knew?! But my goal is 1 blog post a week. That is achievable. I think...
7. Celebrate kids birthdays in style
Bubs turns 1 and OJ turns 10. I think these birthdays should be celebrated well. I plan to have an outdoor party for bubs at a local playground that we visit regularly. OJ hasn't decided on her birthday, but as it is in August it is a little hard to have an outdoor one with the weather.
8. Meal plan each week
This is something I usually do but have been a little slack in the past few weeks. I usually set up the meals for the week, and a shopping list to go with it so I know I have all the ingredients I need. It keeps things running smoothly and keeps us from getting take away meals throughout the week. However, as things get busier I need to make sure I am doing the meal plan every week.
9. Date night each week
Matt and I have found our weekly date night has been lost in the past few months. We have been super lucky to be able to have a date night weekly in the past. It is something I want to get back to doing if not each week every second week. It allows time together to reconnect with each other and takes away any distraction from each other. It is something I am definitely missing.
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