In many ways this is an incredibly exciting time of year, people make plans and resolutions galore and are determined that this new year will be their best yet! There is nothing wrong with hoping and planning, but I recently read that the vast majority of people fall off the bandwagon within 6 weeks and feel overwhelmed with grief and frustration. Looking at previous years, I can now pinpoint just where I went wrong, I was determined to do too much. I looked at where I wanted to be and was determined that if I lived according to a big list/plan and stuck to my never ending lists of must do's, I would get there. Needless to say, my good plans came crashing down within a matter of weeks. I soon realized that in my determination to simplify I was actually complicating my life, I was giving myself more things to do without reducing the other things that got in the way. I was magically trying to find another 10-15 hours in my week, well no amount of fairy dust would magically give me that amount of time without making cutbacks elsewhere. The reality was, I wasn't realistic, I wasn't simplifying, I was complicating.
Maybe you are struggling with energy and eating right. Perhaps you'd love to shed 10 or 15 pounds, or grow your own and live off the earth. But at this place in your life can you actually grow your own? Many of us can't yet, but we can certainly start with the determination to eat breakfast each morning and shop locally. We can read a book about food, become interested in the slow food movement, try growing herbs in pots or put our name down for allotments. All small, practical and relatively easy changes to make.
My personal dream is to have a small holding. I would like rescue animals, my own hens for eggs and a place of peace and tranquility. There are times where this dream seems impossible, where it feels like it is slipping farther and farther away. And yet the biggest barrier is getting over the fact I want my dream to be a reality now, that I'm letting a sense of entitlement slip in. So what do I do instead? I keep my blog real and document thoughts I have on the future, I spend time in the great outdoors, I learn about keeping hens, I spend less so that I can save more.
My hope for 2010 is that people do not feel yet another year has slipped by without being able to achieve the changes they'd like. My hope for 2010 is that we view the year as a part of a long journey, a journey of further discovery of self, a journey of education and a journey of hope. My hope is that we learn to simplify, reduce and see that small steps really do make you stay the course.
Hopefully, your goals this year can be SMART so you will see 11 months from now just how far you've come.
S - specific
M - measurable
A - achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
R - realistic
T - time-based, tangible
May all our Co-op readers have a SMART year! And if you find that pixie dust which magically gives you another 15 hours a week, do share ;)
What are your plans or resolutions for this year? Are they SMART? Do you feel they are realistic?
11 comments:
Yeah, finding 15 more hours a week would be nice, yet not realistic.
I want to take up sprouting and possibly cheese making--but I will be somewhat of a nomad for a while so these goals MIGHT be realistic. I'm just keeping my mind on it to see if I find some way of working it in. You never know.
Good post. I have the flip side of the problem you describe. Now that I do have my little piece of paradise, I really need those extra 15 hours per week and the energy to go with them, because my list is as long as my arm. All the years I didn't have a place to make my dreams come true are now bearing down on me with the message that I'm XX-years-old, and that I need to get so much built and in place while I still can.
That said, I do think my goals for the year are SMART. I instinctively go for individual projects that can mostly be accomplished in a once-and-done fashion. I posted about this year's goals on my blog in case anyone's interested.
http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-years-resolutions-2010-wishlist.html
I don't make resolutions, each month I try to focus on adding or doing away with one thing that will make my life, healthier, happier or better.
I have learned the boundaries of "would love to" because of "don't have the time to". Mr Chiots and are I really focused on working hard right now so that we can semi-retire a little early and have time to enjoy all those things we can't do right now, have animals, grow more food, make cheese, etc.
I have been reading goals for the year from all my fave bloggers and have been inspired and humbled! I agree that lots of people (me included) start out with great plans but end up falling way short. I am going to try to set myself monthly goals with weekly to-do actions to possibly get to the finish line. Good luck to all of us!
I don't really do new year's resolutions but our family is in for a very big change this year in our diet.
We're eliminating most (nearly all) processed foods from our diet.
While I like to think this is SMART, the realistic part does make me pause and think.
We need to avoid artificial colors, artificial flavors, and preservatives because they're appearing to cause behavioral problems in our oldest daughter.
Where I have issues with the realistic is wondering how I'll have the time to cook up all of our food from scratch.
I'm working on locating some moderately processed foods that are free of the artificial ingredients and preservatives, but it's taking some work to find them.
So...we'll see just how SMART our decision is.
My main ones this year are
-cheesemaking
-getting chooks
-stitcheries
I have wrote about them here
www.mylittlemogo.blogspot.com
I too have made a list of goals for January and will carry over unfinished ones rather than stressing! Some are simple, such as dentist appts; others are bigger (for me), such as tend to the fruit trees on our rental that have been ignored by previous tenants.
Cath in Sydney
Thank you so much for sharing your goals/decisions for 2010! Such inspiration right here! I'll be checking out your blogs soon!
I do see where you're coming from; it's like people who go to the gym and push themselves WAY too far; you know they'll never manage to keep that pace up, and you know they won't be able to - but then no one really could without a tonne of work. I'm working on my garden, my business, and raising my son - none of which will ever be finished really, and that realisation has actually helped a fair bit. I can only really chip away, carry on, and not give up. Baby steps...and then before you know it you're able to run.
Having made the mistake of thinking way too big (champagne might have responsible) I started, a couple of years ago, to make very realistic resolutions. Just one each year, and one one that was necessary, but more importantly, doable. Two years ago, I resolved to sort out my personal financial woes (achieved), last year I resolved to be more green (achieved) and this year, since each resolution should build on the achievements of previous years, I've resolved to make and reuse more and buy less. This is doable. And necessary. And builds on previous resolutions. And I'm making good progress already
Very well put---its so easy to get caught up in the down side rather than realizing that the little steps do matter. Thanks for sharing!
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