New Year’s Resolutions I Wish I Could Keep

The New Year brings an opportunity to start fresh, say goodbye to bad habits and become an overall better person. I thought of a few things I’d like to give up in 2013, but only time will tell how long it will take for me to break these resolutions.

Instead of making elaborate goals to “go to the gym every day” or “lose 10 pounds,” I like to try improving my lifestyle in an intangible way. One year I decided to stop worrying about people who didn’t care about me (you know, bad friends), while another year I made a resolution to do one nice thing for someone every day. Those have been going well. Even though I have the best intentions for 2013, there are a few things I don’t know if I can shake or accomplish. Wish me luck.

Using Choice Words

I like to think of myself as a lady. That is all thrown out the window when someone cuts me off on the road. F-bombs are thrown, blood pressure rises and a whole new Kristin comes out to play. That’s only one example of my love for swearing.

There are other words I just love using because they express such feeling and emotion. My personal favorite is the good old “C U Next Tuesday.” I want to pretend I’ll stop swearing and using my favorite word to describe people who do me wrong, but alas, I don’t think I have the strength quite yet.

Poor Dating Choices

2012 was a disappointing year. I encountered the guy who had just broken up with his girlfriend, the ex-boyfriend going through an emotional breakdown, the guy with a rollercoaster personality, numerous guys with Peter Pan syndrome, the guy who flipped a lid when I rejected him after two dates and most recently, the guy who courted me for two weeks before I discovered he had a girlfriend. Please! I did enjoy the birthday flowers he sent to my office, though I doubt his clueless girlfriend would.

What is with all of this emotional baggage? All in all, pretty rough.

I may give up dating all together in 2013. This resolution will probably last two weeks, tops.

Making Excuses For People

I was fantastic at standing my ground in 2012. When poor behavior was recognized I addressed it immediately and took no BS. This resulted in crushed male egos, being called mean names and me laughing it off as I took these childish reactions as a compliment for doing something right.

In some strange way, I enjoy being told off by people who dislike when I stand by my opinion or lash out when their ego is bruised. Even though I’m doing well at no longer making excuses for this unexplainable behavior, who knows what I’ll do in 2013. I may just get swayed with flowers and nice messages. Sigh!

Living on a Cash Basis

My mom described the “envelope method” to me a while back. She advised me to put a fixed amount of money in an envelope each time I got paid and to avoid my bank account. This was my budget. I’ve tried the envelope method, and I’m always far too conservative with my budget and never fail to withdraw more money. Next thing I know it’s pay day again and I’m back to the envelope. For whatever reason, cash seems to go so much quicker than when I pay with my debit card. Why is that!?

I recently opened a savings account. You can imagine my surprise when I received a letter from the IRS stating that my taxes were reconfigured for 2011 and I owed a nice chunk of cash to make up the difference. #&%^*%@#! Thankfully I do have a savings account- so maybe living on a cash basis is a good idea, after all.

Getting Outside More

I detest the gym– something about the group environment, public sweating and locker rooms completely grosses me out. Nevertheless, it’s important to stay psychically fit, even during the chilly winter months.

I have cross country skis and snow shoes. I have never used them. I think it’s about time to make some changes and fight my fear of snow and sleet to work on my fitness in the great outdoors. This will be quite the challenge, considering I just received a new television for Christmas and a Wii. Why not just play some sports in the comfort of my home?

There’s an exception to every rule, but as I get older and (I’d like to think) wiser, it becomes more and more difficult to put up with the petty things. Life is too short. Enjoy it and take care of yourself in the New Year!

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