Resolutions? Yes!

I know lots of people resist the idea of making New Year's resolutions and they have all sorts of excuses reasons why they don't make 'em.  There are those that say that they don't need to wait till the first of the year to resolve to make changes of course not but how many of those people actually get around to making resolutions at any other time of the year?  Or there are the ones that don't want to spend any time looking over the last year - good or bad.  Are they afraid of introspection?  Afraid they won't like what they see or afraid there won't be anything of substance *to* see?  Afraid they'll see more regret than accomplishment?

My personal favorites are the ones that won't make resolutions because they know they won't keep them.
Sweeties, y'all are just making the WRONG resolutions! 

I think too many people use resolutions as a form of self punishment.  Rather than make gentle adjustments into something that they really want, they make drastic changes to turn themselves into what they think they're supposed to be.  Of course those types of resolutions don't work, they were doomed to failure before the thought was even formed in your head.

I say, never make a resolution that's going to bring you anything but joy.  My friend, Duke, has the right idea here in his New Year's Eve blog post.  He's not going to have any trouble keeping those resolutions and they'll bring him a lot of pleasure all year long!

With that in mind, here are my joyful resolutions for 2012:

1.  sing as much as possible, even if it's only in the car or shower but even better, look for opportunities to let your inner diva come out and play
2.  look for the extraordinary in each day and be grateful for it
3. make more healthy choices than unhealthy but don't regret the unhealthy, if you're going to cheat on your diet then you might as well enjoy every moment
4. enjoy the quiet days but don't hide behind them - adventure is outside of your comfort zone
5. be adorable every day, even if some days it takes more effort than others - you are worth the effort!
6. discard anything (clothes, clutter, situations, people) that takes away from being adorable
7. give thanks daily for the people you love and let them know it
8. start projects with the intention of finishing them but give yourself permission to let go of projects that no longer fit in your life
9.  don't beat yourself up about mistakes, turn them into a funny story and make someone laugh
10. smile often, laugh frequently, enjoy life for the gift it is

Looking forward to the next 364 days!