Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It is hereby resolved...

We're almost at another new year. The start of a new decade, in fact. It's resolution time. Here are mine:
  • Exercise/walk more.
  • (Which may lead to): Eat more healthy foods.
  • Keep in mind that if Anna Wintour of Vogue thinks size 4 is the new zaftig, it's a losing battle anyway.
  • Donate more generously.
  • Write (more) every day.
  • Remember the only resolution that matters: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." That was Plato. Wise man.
Does anyone else even bother with resolutions? I always have. Some years I've made progress. Other years, not so much. The trick, I think, is to keep it vague. That way you do make progress, regardless. (If I said, "Write ten pages every day," I already know it's a recipe for failure. "Write more," though - that I can do.)

Image of Plato taken from http://www.philosophy.dept.shef.ac.uk/

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! what an idea ! What a concept ! Beautiful .. Amazing …

Sue Ann Jaffarian said...

4 is the new zaftag? I never got the memo. Guess I'll start a trend of my own: Size 18-20 is the new Hindenburg.

I always set goals for the new year, rather than resolutions. I haven't made any yet for 2010 except to write all my books due this year with my sanity intact, and be more flexible and kind to myself.

Happy New Year, Gin!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I always set resolutions for the new year, too. But I have to make mine very broken down and very specific for them to be acted on!

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you're creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place.

rH3uYcBX

Alan Orloff said...

I'm big into New Year's resolutions, too. More on that when I blog on New Year's Day (gotta have something to blog about besides the weather!).

Cricket McRae said...

I also set goals, and I try to time any changes in my life to start before New Year's. That way when the new year rolls around I have a running start.

Jen said...

I prefer to call them goals. If I say "resolution" it just seems to fall apart before it gets started. Call them goals and they seem more serious.

Happy New Year,
Jen

Keith Raffel said...

Gin, if you, who is so close to perfect, are coming up with resolutions for improvement, where does that leave us mere mortals?

Stephanie Fey said...

Ah, Plato! Eternally beautiful Plato! Thank you for sharing and thank you for this blog. So much here to enjoy and ponder. Steph x

G.M. Malliet said...

Sue Ann - Anna is going way out on a limb to put a size 4 model on the cover of Vogue. It's her contribution to helping women achieve a realistic body image. Hmm.

Elizabeth, Cricket, Jen - Whatever works. I know myself too well so I keep it vague.

Alan - Didn't mean to steal your thunder. I was racing for a train and this topic was what was on my mind.

Keith - You kidder, you.

G.M. Malliet said...

Stephanie - I love this advice of Plato's. Somehow feel I can't go wrong if I try to follow it.

G.M. Malliet said...

& Happy New Year to you all from FREEZING Connecticut!

Anonymous said...

I like goals rather than resolutions but I guess they amount to the same thing. Good luck in 2010.

Beth Groundwater said...

I, too, prefer to set goals rather than "resolutions," which sound too formal and restrictive to me. One thing I've struggled with off and on over the years is trying to achieve balance in my life, putting the right amounts of my time and energy into the right things: family, work, my own well-being, friends, etc. When I worked as a software engineer, I had a sticky note on my phone: "Stop internalizing other people's goals!" A couple of months ago, I put another one under my computer monitor: "If you had one year left to live, would you put this on your schedule?" A lot of things I might at first consider doing just don't stand up to that yardstick! So, I'll continue to work on balance next year. Personal well-being needs more attention, so yes, that includes diet and exercise, but also many other things.