Yesterday I had a conversation with my mother about the new year ahead, what we would like to happen and how to achieve it. Soon after my mother, who happens to be a psychologist and author, came up with this post. I thought you’d like it.
I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions. Of course, I’ve made plenty of them, and for me, they have always started out with grand intentions (maybe too grand and unrealistic) and ended with a vague feeling of guilt.
Whether it is about food, exercise, writing, or other good habits, the experience is usually reminiscent of going to the gym on January 1 and finding it packed and sweaty – then going back mid February and having the machines all to myself (not that I’m really there either) It’s unpleasant to fail so early in the new year.
Then, at some point, I switched to ‘intentions’. That struck me as milder and gentler. Intentions sound mindful, sort of “I intend to cut back on eating sweets, but if I dig into a quart of Ben & Jerry’s on January 2, I’m still a good person.”
I have a new idea for 2019. I’m thinking about it as, ‘What will my story be for 2019?’ It feels creative – I like that. I’m going to give it a try, a day at a time.
