New Year’s Evolution

I’m not a fan of resolutions, possibly because I am terrible at upholding them. I think it’s a common issue with our society for us to choose something to improve about ourselves and then to do it all at once….only to fail all at once shortly thereafter.

In the past, I’ve tried this all-or-nothing approach about a million times (seriously, I’m not exaggerating that much).  In the end, when I break my resolution (New Year’s or otherwise), I just feel badly that I screwed up.  It hasn’t gotten me anywhere, except for taking me on a little rollercoaster ride.

This year, I want to just focus on continuing to evolve my lifestyle.  I don’t really know how fast it will happen or where, specifically, I’ll end up at the end of the year.  But I do know what direction I’d like to go.

I already go to the gym quite often, sometimes twice a day if you count yoga (and I do). I have a pretty positive attitude, and tend to not sweat the small (or big) stuff.  I would like to try and eat healthier consistently.  I’m easily influenced, especially when I’m with people who don’t have the same priorities I have (it’s not the easiest thing to explain the raw-plant-food-thing to people who aren’t interested in it). I also have absolutely no willpower. In addition to this, although I’m very responsible, I also procrastinate on many things–especially tasks that just feel like time wasters.

Because I know these things about myself, I can set my intentions for 2010.

1. Keep going to the gym

2. Plan ahead for food—pack lunch, go to wegmans often, plan meals ahead of time….never come home from work starving (and if I do–because I know it will happen sometimes–have healthy things on hand that I can snack on before I construct a meal).

3. Make lists of tasks I need to do each week and cross them off as I go.  Maybe I’ll make the list in my phone so I always have access to it.  (So far, I renewed my registration for my car and bought new windshield wipers—I’m strangely happy with myself for that, but I think it’s because I already feel like I’m starting 2010 on the right foot!).

This year, it seems like being vague about what my goals are, and then focusing on the habits I listed above, will work best for me.  But what will work for you?  At Rotork, we’re doing a New Year’s Evolution project for 2010 focusing on goal setting and breaking down yearly goals into monthly and weekly tasks.  Would you benefit from that approach?