2013 has come and gone, and 2014 is well upon us. And January, as everyone knows, is the season of resolutions. What will we set out to do? How will we make 2014 better than last year, the year before, and all the years before that? Resolutions are a sign of our constant striving for improvement--for perfection.
But 2014? This year, I'm throwing perfection out the window. My resolutions in the past have always pushed towards the unreachable state that is "perfect." It hasn't worked. So here's a list of resolutions that push towards... well, not imperfection, but perhaps the embrace of imperfection:
- Read carefully. Slow down. Savor the pages. If I'm not savoring them, skip it and move on. Life's too short to read bad books.
- Run in new places. Without the GPS tracker. Who cares how many miles it is?
- Eat more chocolate. Also, drink more red wine.
- Go to-do-less. One entire week without a to-do list. Vacation weeks do not count.
- Be thankful. Sounds easy. Probably isn't.
- Converse. (Not the shoes, the verb.) In person. Online. Reach out. Connect.
- Try. Without trying, there is no doing, no matter what Yoda says.
- Fail. We can't learn from our mistakes if we're constantly afraid of making them.
- Sleep. Who doesn't need more sleep?
- Less multi-tasking. Sure, listening to a book while driving can be great. But so can cruising along with the windows down and the music blaring. Getting a TV show in on the treadmill is a great way not to focus on the running, but maybe focusing on running shouldn't be such a terrible thing. One thing at a time, even if that means sacrificing productivity.
What are your goals (or un-goals) for 2014? What do you do to stick to your resolutions?
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This post is part of The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday meme.
I totally should have added sleep to my list. I need so much more of it! Love the idea of embracing the idea of imperfection :)
ReplyDeleteI've been sacrificing sleep lately in favor of staying up late to read or catch up on a show, or wake up early to go to the gym. This burning the candle at both ends thing is just NOT working for me. So productivity be damned, I'm getting 8 hours a night.
DeleteI love your goals! Especially #3. We should all do that.
ReplyDeleteAgree! More chocolate for everyone!
DeleteOh, number 3. I think I might have achieved that already! Great resolutions - enjoy your reading year.
ReplyDeleteBut one can always eat *even more* chocolate, yes?
DeleteSleep is really hard when you tend to read in bed. One more chapter is always beckoning.
ReplyDeleteSo. Very. Hard. I've become queen of falling asleep in my book lately, which is really not a healthy sleeping habit.
DeleteFinally, a list of resolutions I can get behind! I've already fully embraced 3 and 9.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I didn't see is one for Go to BEA. Any chance? If so, I'm pretty sure we can do better than hijacking a conference room to eat pizza!
I'm on the fence -- really hoping I can make it, but really lacking in vacation time this year! I will definitely keep you posted, though.
DeleteThe less multi-tasking thing is so freeing. I started doing that during the latter half of last year and it has been the best thing ever. I stopped listening to audio books as a result, but I don't miss them. Focusing on one thing at a time makes life feel a little less chaotic and manic. I get enough of that at work. No need to force it on myself at home!! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteLove your goals! Especially #3 :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a refreshing resolution list. And one that I`m sure inspires all who read it (like me!). With a baby on the way, I didn't really make a resolution list, my only "goal" is to just keep reading once baby comes, even if it's only a few pages a day.
ReplyDeleteI think that's an admirable goal -- good luck!
DeleteI think I'll try #1 for once. A lot of my precious reading time usually wasted just because I just couldn't bear to stop reading even a bad book. Who's the fool now, eh? Number 6 too, since I feel like my day job is taking up so much of my life now that I forget to stop and smell the roses...
ReplyDeleteI think I'll try #1 for once. A lot of my precious reading time usually wasted just because I just couldn't bear to stop reading even a bad book. Who's the fool now, eh? Number 6 too, since I feel like my day job is taking up so much of my life now that I forget to stop and smell the roses...
ReplyDelete