In addition to ranking (in related news, my top twenty lists for the year and decade upcoming on this blog soon!), another thing we're not supposed to be doing is resolving. As with almost everything, there is a replacement, of course: while resolutions are not good, intentions are. Yet it seems these are not really that different for everyone - intentions seem, often, to be a different shade of paint but the same furniture underneath. I read a piece from a planning blogger I follow (I know) who explained intentions as about the journey, not about the end result (unlike resolutions - okay so far) - but then their phrase for 2020 was "the year I get it done." That does not feel like the journey, but very much about the end result. I might be ungenerous here, but often "intentions" strike me as being akin to the wellness/diet conflation that is so prevalent (and is much more pernicious).
Anyway, I'm down with resolutions (for a while, I wrote a whole blog about them. Didn't stick to it). I think they can be a very useful tool for thinking about what you want to do and how you want to move through the world. It's not just about the end goal - but how would you do it? One thing I resolved to do for 2019 was to be able to do a pull-up. That will not happen for, well, many reasons physiological and emotional, but it was good to break it down - what does that mean? Follow a routine at the gym. Plan my time so that I can make it to the gym a certain amount of times a week. Make sure I'm on top of my organizing time and shopping so that I can have post-gym protein rich snacks. Get good sleep to help me repair muscle and be well-rested. All these things are what I want and achievable - one useful thing I have taken from the rather intense-bullet journal pieces I have read is that breaking down a goal helps one actually take the steps toward it, and that's helped me deal with some events and things (hosting Thanksgiving, for example) that I often find overwhelming.
I've already set out my intentions for plant growing this year. I've set up my air plants and put in place my alerts for watering and taking care of both those and my cacti.
I also went through the process of the Year Compass reflection and planning tool yesterday. A very dear friend and I got delicious food (crabcakes, plantains, and salad), then headed to a lounge to sip tea and work through the exercises in the booklet. A lot of it was tough - it's been a rough year in many ways - but it was so much fun to think about how I'm going to try to make my life more fun, cosy, and how I'm going to value myself more. This year I finally started to accept that my personality is not a flaw, but I can adapt things to suit me - problem solving to make my life smoother and more comfortable. I'm excited to meditate more, to read even more (and I did well with reading fun, interesting, and challenging books this year), to get strong and look after my mental health and my family. If it doesn't all pan out, sure - this year proved that you can't plan for everything and anything, and that you can be derailed. But trying is important. Trying to be good, trying to do better - both for yourself and for the sake of doing and being good. Although try not to make it about weight loss - for you, your friends, and society.
Anyway, I'm down with resolutions (for a while, I wrote a whole blog about them. Didn't stick to it). I think they can be a very useful tool for thinking about what you want to do and how you want to move through the world. It's not just about the end goal - but how would you do it? One thing I resolved to do for 2019 was to be able to do a pull-up. That will not happen for, well, many reasons physiological and emotional, but it was good to break it down - what does that mean? Follow a routine at the gym. Plan my time so that I can make it to the gym a certain amount of times a week. Make sure I'm on top of my organizing time and shopping so that I can have post-gym protein rich snacks. Get good sleep to help me repair muscle and be well-rested. All these things are what I want and achievable - one useful thing I have taken from the rather intense-bullet journal pieces I have read is that breaking down a goal helps one actually take the steps toward it, and that's helped me deal with some events and things (hosting Thanksgiving, for example) that I often find overwhelming.
I've already set out my intentions for plant growing this year. I've set up my air plants and put in place my alerts for watering and taking care of both those and my cacti.
I also went through the process of the Year Compass reflection and planning tool yesterday. A very dear friend and I got delicious food (crabcakes, plantains, and salad), then headed to a lounge to sip tea and work through the exercises in the booklet. A lot of it was tough - it's been a rough year in many ways - but it was so much fun to think about how I'm going to try to make my life more fun, cosy, and how I'm going to value myself more. This year I finally started to accept that my personality is not a flaw, but I can adapt things to suit me - problem solving to make my life smoother and more comfortable. I'm excited to meditate more, to read even more (and I did well with reading fun, interesting, and challenging books this year), to get strong and look after my mental health and my family. If it doesn't all pan out, sure - this year proved that you can't plan for everything and anything, and that you can be derailed. But trying is important. Trying to be good, trying to do better - both for yourself and for the sake of doing and being good. Although try not to make it about weight loss - for you, your friends, and society.
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