New Year Resolution time can be daunting and quite frustrating. I applaud anyone who can actually create and complete a specific goal throughout an entire year. I am just not one of those people. I typically don’t make resolutions, because I’m not a big fan of failure, so I try to steer clear of setting myself up for said failure. 

This year I’ll make New Year Intentions. By definition, a resolution is a “firm decision to do or not to do something, whereas intention is “an aim or plan”.   I don’t feel like I want any type of “firm” commitments for the year, rather I’d like to take aim at a few things and see how far I can get. Sure, this may seem like a cop-out, because it completely is. But this is my life and I’m not about to start out the year disappointed in myself.  I’ve spent a great deal of my life dealing with self-doubt and anxiety, which isn’t going to change overnight. So rather than setting my personal expectations super high and possibly falling short, I’m taking the easy, non-anxiety inducing route and making some solid 2018 intentions.

Alas, here are 2018 Intentions!

1. Read 1 book a month. I used to devour books as quickly as I devour cheese, but the past couple of years I’ve really slacked off. This year I intend to read 1 book a month. (I suppose I could try to do a book recommendation list on my blog…but I’m not going to get carried away).
2. Listen more, Talk less. I’m a “talker” in every sense of the colloquialism. I intend to listen far more than I speak this year. Wish me luck!
3. Wake up & Get the heck out of bed!  I used to be a habitual early riser…something has drastically changed. I must get back to my old ways of rising early and seizing the day.  I intend to limit my use of the snooze button.
4. Send more mail.  I absolutely LOVE receiving mail.  As a kid, I couldn’t wait to become a grown-up and get mail every day.  Unfortunately, email, text messages, and bills have essentially ruined this childish dream.  I intend to send more mail, be it thank you notes, get well cards, or just funny thoughts to my friends and family.  (Also, I might include self-addressed stamped envelope so I can always expect to get return mail).
5. Eat more avocados.  This one is super simple!
6. More gratitude, less complaining.  I’ve noticed I complain a whole lot, often to the point of being a malcontent and cynical jerk. I intend to make a conscious effort to bemore gracious, forgiving, grateful, and kind.
7. Kindness, it’s key.  I’m a pretty kind lady. Yes, I’m sarcastic and have a fiery temper, but for the most part, I’m a pleasant human being.  However, at times I allow my temper to get the best of me which results in me acting like a damn fool and immediately regret the things I say or do out of anger.  I intend to continuously check my temper and deliberately be kind.
8. Squats, push-ups, and crunches.  I used to be a pretty fantastic athlete and now I’m not. I’d like to start running again because it has consistently been one of the most anxiety-reducing activities I’ve ever done, but since I continually make up ridiculous reasons why I can’t run, I’m going to just set my sights lower and intend to do some squats, push-ups, and crunches every damn day.  (I should probably start walking a couple times a week as well, so maybe my intentions will change further into the year).  I’ll let you know how long this actually lasts.
9. Purge more, Buy less. I have an insanely large collection of stuff. I have too many clothes, shoes, purses, pieces of jewelry, old academic papers, memorabilia, craft supplies, household items, etc. This certainly isn’t “useless” stuff, I know there are many people who would feel blessed with all the crap I continually tote around the world with me…but I’ve got to downsize and get rid of many things. Additionally, to combat the continued accumulation of more stuff, I am also going to aim at buying less. Hopefully, this intention will not only relieve some of the clutter in my life but also relieve some serious strain on my bank account.
10. Continue to add more intentions.  Throughout the year, I’m sure I’ll come up with new, altered, improved, or completely different intentions.  I’ll update this list sometime in July 2018 (actually setting a reminder in my phone right now!)

Additionally – here is a list of things I intend to NEVER change:

• Loving with all my heart
• Traveling, exploring, and experiencing
• Talking to my family every.single.day!
• Drinking water
• Learning
• Flossing my teeth
• Volunteering
• Practicing French & Spanish
• Recycling
• Eating dark chocolate, often
• Laughing, on the daily
• Snuggling Brutus and Bella