New Years Resolutions
As a kid, I frequently chose a New Years resolution because it was something adults asked about in January and I liked having something to say. I never put much thought into these pledges and I certainly never aspired to undergo or sustain the action said resolution required.
I'm no longer a kid, though, and now I more fully understand why New Years resolutions exist. They encourage people to break out of their ruts and routines and do something new. Resolutions cause behaviors to occur, repeating those behaviors causes habits to form, and eventually those habits become ingrained, internal, and automatic. I'm proud to say that I successfully have met my resolutions since I turned 30. It's all about small, obtainable actions, right?
I taught myself how to whistle.
I documented all the books and total pages I read in a given year.
For each week I had off, I volunteered one shift at the Saint Louis Area Food Bank.
Obviously, most of these resolutions are rather self-centered, but I'm particularly proud of the FoodBank one. As a teacher, I have a lot of time off each year: two weeks at spring break, two weeks at winter break, and two months at summer. That's a lot of time to be a slug if I want -- and I do want that -- but it's also a lot of time to do good. Volunteering gives me something worthwhile to do and I really enjoy it. Even better, Raina joins me on these ventures and I look forward to the day that Lola volunteers with us too. I'm optimistic that my 2012 resolution will cause a family tradition of volunteerism.
I'm no longer a kid, though, and now I more fully understand why New Years resolutions exist. They encourage people to break out of their ruts and routines and do something new. Resolutions cause behaviors to occur, repeating those behaviors causes habits to form, and eventually those habits become ingrained, internal, and automatic. I'm proud to say that I successfully have met my resolutions since I turned 30. It's all about small, obtainable actions, right?
I taught myself how to whistle.
I documented all the books and total pages I read in a given year.
For each week I had off, I volunteered one shift at the Saint Louis Area Food Bank.
Obviously, most of these resolutions are rather self-centered, but I'm particularly proud of the FoodBank one. As a teacher, I have a lot of time off each year: two weeks at spring break, two weeks at winter break, and two months at summer. That's a lot of time to be a slug if I want -- and I do want that -- but it's also a lot of time to do good. Volunteering gives me something worthwhile to do and I really enjoy it. Even better, Raina joins me on these ventures and I look forward to the day that Lola volunteers with us too. I'm optimistic that my 2012 resolution will cause a family tradition of volunteerism.
Comments