Make 2010 about Me
I have read that 2009 was the worst year ever for so many people and I have to ask why? Yes, the economy was in the toilet, but we have been offered hope how ever small a glimmer. Sure there was the swine flu but the human race has endured with or without flu vaccinations, and I know there was a myriad of other things that everyone can point to but at the end of the day each of us is still here to point at 2009 so it must have been an ok year to some degree, we are still here on the planet. That seems a little lack luster though, to just be here.
So why not make 2010 the year of “me”. Go all out on resolutions, and I 
don’t mean the same ones we make every year that are vague, unspecific and bound to the year in general. Resolve right now to make some time bound, measurable goals that are achievable and use the rest of the year to continually update and modify these goals so that you can keep yourself motivated beyond January.
I mentioned in our last Sky Yoga Studio Newsletter that some resolutions that top the goal list year after year are 1. Losing weight 2. Spending more time with family. Sadly I find these vague and unattainable. There is nothing measurable about these and are they really for you? Sure, they have been on my list too but why? I feel guilty about how much time I spend with my family based on other mothers. I feel I fall short of losing as much baby weight as other women or staying in society’s idea of“shape” – so are these really goals for me? No.
This year I have come up with some goals that I really would like to meet because I think they will help me be a better person, help me live each moment to its fullest and at the end of 2010 give me a chance to look back and say – wow, this year was productive for me, I accomplished a lot.
So here are a few from my list – and I truly believe language has power so watch what you say and how you phrase your goals this year:
1. I will moisturize every day (yes this is a vanity one because I looked at my feet and they are dry – but I think I can take 2 minutes everyday to throw some lotion on me, I’m worth it)
2. I will devote at least 10-30 minutes of each day to working on what I have learned with Susan in belly dance (I need some me time to do something fun that challenges me, and 10 minutes is doable).
3. I will learn a new skill or complete a craft at least once a month (I have a whole room devoted to crafting but I am such a perfectionist I never want to start. I want to expand my knowledge and create things, even if they are only seen by me)
4. I will spend every Saturday afternoon with my family doing something fun, creative and educational (the boys are my life but I don’t get enough time with them as a small business owner – Saturdays are now theirs – that’s 52 Saturdays in a year, again not too much to ask).
5. I will finish reading a new book each month (as an English major and teacher I miss reading and this truly depresses me – that I have no time to read. I hope to start a reading group at the studio).
6. Each day I will take time to write a post about what I have done. (I need accountability and am not a fan of my own handwriting, blogging is a great way to share everyday experiences with others.)
Off my list for this year is eating right, drinking more water, losing weight, making more money, teaching more classes – and others because those goals aren’t really about me, they don’t serve to make me a happier and truly healthier person – they make me neurotic and tired. This is not to say that I won’t keep striving to eat and drink healthy, or that I am suddenly closing up shop to backpack around the world – but those resolutions are so last year, and the year before that – they are general and we each strive for them to survive and live. I no longer just want to “survive”, I want to thrive and I have set goals to help.
I invite you all to set some New Year’s Goals and if you like, share them in the comments section.
