Most people tend to have the same tired old resolutions every year, resolutions that seldom last beyond the middle of January. Take vitamins. Eat more healthfully. Exercise regularly. Lose weight. All admirable goals but also boring and usually not attainable.
Come Valentine’s Day you’ll find me stretched out in front of the television with a bag of Cheeto’s (not snack size) and a Diet Coke.
It’s interesting how every year we think THIS will be the year we can change our bad habits into good ones although, if our histories prove anything, it’s that history will repeat itself once again.
Which is why I was intrigued when a friend of mine shared their way of tackling the resolution situation. Before I start, I’d like to add that this person works in a library and delights in organizing the way some of us delight in Cheeto’s.
I would also like to add that my friend is 24 years old. When I was that age the only thing I resolved to do was keep up with daily episodes of “All My Children.”
My friend created an Excel spreadsheet with clearly delineated categories for each resolution: Career, Finance, Mind, Learning, Fun, Relationships, Body, Environment. I decided to step up to the challenge and see what I could come up with for myself.
Then the categories were broken down even more. For Career, it must be a work-related goal. It took some pondering, but I hit on a winner by resolving to try not to call in sick exclusively on Fridays from here to retirement.
Finance for my friend is a personal financial goal, like saving for a new refrigerator. Since our refrigerator is still running nicely, I’m going to stick with an old resolution and make my financial goal winning the lottery in 2024 — and this year I’m serious.
Mind. By this my friend means a mental health goal, which certainly never hurts. For 2024 my mental health goal is to scroll more and obsess less when reading random comments under any online story. I am sure that resolution would result in a far more serene, and mentally healthier, New Year.
Learning. This one covers just about everything from learning how to yodel to learning when to keep your mouth shut, which I am claiming as my personal aim.
Fun. Now here’s a resolution that is far better than “cutting carb intake” or “walking 10,000 steps a day.” We all need more fun in our lives, maybe even more than we need more fiber. I haven’t come up with a fun goal yet, but I’m working on it.
Relationships. My friend explained that the idea behind this resolution is how to improve relationships in your life, personal, family or even that nodding relationship with the people down the block. I think everyone realizes we could all do a little more to make at least one relationship in our lives a little smoother.
Body. Make a resolution that will help your body function better, like eating something green occasionally. This has been solved in our household by ordering veggies that come in gummy form. We’re clearly not shooting for the stars but it’s a micro-step in the right direction.
And finally, Environment. This refers to personal environment, not the big one outside. A suggestion might be cleaning up your workspace for the last 15 minutes of each day, so you come into something nice and orderly the following morning instead of the chaotic mess you usually leave behind.
I won’t go as far as creating a spreadsheet for my resolutions, but I’m going to try to model this year’s goals on what my friend came up with instead of my usual humdrum, undoable “lose 10 pounds and write a bestselling novel” goals.
At least this way I might be able to achieve maybe one of my resolutions instead of giving up before the after Christmas sales are over.
Nell Musolf is a freelance writer based in Mankato. She can be reached at nmusolf@gmail.com.