the year

I waffle. There are plenty of ways to approach the ending of the year and the beginning of the next (besides drink-till-you-pass-out), but I'm not sure what to do. Every chick-mag on the stands has an opinion: Resolve to improve myself. Drink more water. Eat breakfast. Exercise. Keep my apartment clean. Update the tags on my car (or wait another 7 months when its due again). -- This may work for a few, but I believe sets most of us up for failure and guilt. If you remember the hectic and exhausting month you just went through, you probably fell short of many expectations and are anxious for the opportunity to be hard on yourself. No one likes a nag... Resolve to improve myself, the next level. Trust myself. Listen from the heart. Meditate. Align my actions with my beliefs. -- Whoa, heavy. And hard. Don't do this alone or you lack the feedback you need to succeed. Involve a friend, a loved one, a therapist, priest, life coach, or whatever suits your preference. Resolve to do things I want to do. Read. Quilt. Write. Play video games. Learn the guitar. Cook. -- We are all guilty of cramming too many goodies into our burritos - take a bite from one end and our avocado shoots out the other end. Listing what's missing in your life leads to what you must give up. Less TV. Less sleeping. Less shopping (eeks!) Forcing in more stuff can lead to stress and frustration. Resolve to not make any resolutions. -- You are now set up for success and good feelings for continually meeting your goal. Personally, I don't like to ignore the natural lure to evaluate myself. This year was a grab bag of drama, pain, joy and surprises - and I'm glad it's over. I have hope for 2007. Hope for positive change and happiness. It inspires me to dream. Resolve to do something in life. Retire comfortably. Become a writer. Buy a house. Sing in a successful band. -- It's common knowledge today that what you write down is more likely to materialize than if you never wrote it at all. Why not now? Of course these are projects in themselves. If you only look at this list once a year, don't bother: they require ongoing planning and dedication. Maybe I don't pick. Maybe I do it all? Maybe I pick one of each? They're all rattling around in my brain, nagging at me, telling me what I need to be truly happy. Well, and sometimes it's my bf nagging at me...to eat breakfast... :-) So what do I do? Mmm, sleep on it.