SUBSCRIBE VIA RSSTo be honest, I hate New Year Resolutions. I’ve always felt compelled to come up with one but I’m convinced the reason people like me fail before the first weekend is because we set the bar way too high.
While quitting smoking, giving up chocolate, or losing 50 pounds are all admirable goals, people seem to forget that a New Year Resolution is like perpetual Lent without reprieve. With Lent, at least your misery is short-term.
When I was younger, my resolutions would always be of a lofty nature. Had any of them lasted beyond the 5th of January, I’d probably be a muscled-out guitar-strumming award-winning author doubling as a tri-athlete completely off soda by now.
But I’m not.
I’m still a lean, mean, soda-chugging squidgy machine. I know nothing about the guitar beyond the fact that it has five strings I can’t play. I’m an obscure author whose big claim to fame is getting flamed on StumbleUpon by a bunch of adolescent pukes for shelving my kid’s xBox. And the term “tri-athlete” has been banned from my vocabulary unless it’s preceded by “I will never become a…”
As years passed and I became older and wiser, I accepted the reality that I’m completely void of willpower and have little desire to change. In turn, my resolutions became progressively and increasingly scaled back until last year’s New Year Resolution was simply: “I hereby vow not to have one.”
Apparently, futility is the key to victory because after decades of failed attempts, I’m happy to report that I have finally closed out a year with my resolution still intact.
Hot off my winning streak, I’ve decided to try for a repeat. Only this year, I’m going to up the ante on effort.
As I’ve pledged repeatedly throughout the year, I want to write more. Contrary to the lack of posts, I’ve actually had lots of inspiration and writing prompts. I simply talked myself out of writing for fear that the topics weren’t worthy of your time. But hey, who am I to judge, right? I mean, some of you could be leading boring lives in perpetual solitude and here I’m stripping away some much-needed entertainment.
So, with that being said, my 2013 New Year Resolution is to post at least 5 times a week without regard for the over-obsessive blockade I tend to erect whenever I sit down to write.
On the plus side, it means I’ll be writing 20 posts a month. On the potential downside, it means some of them are gonna suck. But I’m done being the judge of what’s good and what’s bad because my obsession over perfection has only resulted in self-doubt and empty pages. If I strike out, I want it to be because I swung and missed. Not because I was afraid to ever approach home plate.
From my family to yours, Happy New Year! I hope to see you around these parts throughout 2013.
Oh, and if you’re lacking in the New Year Resolution department, you can always make it a goal to visit my blog each day. I just hope you have more success with that than I have.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I also hate New Years resolutions, mostly because I can never seem to accomplish them. But maybe it’s time to change that. This year I decided that in order to actually lose the weight I want to lose, I would need to sign up for the most expensive gym we had in our town. That way, I don’t really have a choice.
I would also like to write more too. I have book ideas that I can’t seem to get down on paper. They race around my head like crazy, but after I start writing them, the doubt sets in and I start to think they sound so very, very stupid and then I toss it all in the trash.
Good luck to you! Can’t wait to read all your blog posts!
Years ago, my roommate and I signed up for a gym that cost $500 (it was a lot for us!). We would drag ourselves there muttering, “Half a thousand… half a thousand…” It worked! ;D Good luck with your goal!
Wombat Central´s last post…First Lines of 2012
Well said. Good luck with your resolution & Happy New Year.
Daddy Scratches´s last post…Happy New Year!
Funny that I had the same idea as Danielle….join a gym and pay for it and that will make me go. Since I’m so cheap, I picked the cheapest gym and the cheapest payment option, which means Danielle will probably go to her gym longer than I will go to mine.
I don’t do them either. I know I stink at them. I would love if you wrote some of those gems down. I am sure we will enjoy them much more than you think we will. Blog for yourself. We will just be along for the journey.
I always make my New Years resolutions fun… And something that I was gonna do anyway. I also like to stick a bucket list item in there as well. Like, this year I will take a trapeze class and do more spontaneous hugging. Bam!! I’m a better person AND a winner for sticking to my resolutions! YAY ME!!
Hugs!
Valerie
Valerie´s last post…Welcome 2013! I am the Hero of this story. I don’t need to be saved.
Yea.. I don’t really do resolutions either. I just finished my 2 slices of cheese pizza, followed by a midnight truffle blizzard from DQ. My belly is sufficiently achy. I’m a type 2 diabetic that is lactose intolerant, and I just can’t stay away from ice cream!
I do look forward to reading your posts, mundane or not.. because I enjoy them all and consider them to be NOT.
Bring on the awesome posts and bring on the not so awesome ones. I’ll read them all!
It’s good to see you posting.
Last years resolution that I didn’t make was to read anew post from you every day. Sadly, we didn’t make good on that one. (Bazinga)
I actually mock New Years resolutions each year, but I do it on the Chinese New Year.
WG
WilyGuy´s last post…Power Tools, Relationships, and Soulmates
I’m with you, my most successful resolution, was never to make one! I’ve discovered I’m much more likely to be successful at change if I do it when I feel it and not when the date tells me to. This year though, I’m breaking the rule… Run one 5K a month for 2013! Since I generally don’t even run to the bathroom, this will be a lofty goal. But I just finished doing a Couch to 5k training app… so we’ll see how it goes. I hope we both stick to our resolutions, because I do enjoy your blog whether it’s sucky or not!
)
I actually do visit your blog every day, because it’s worth it when you do have a new post. Don’t feel like you have to post more, but I will certainly be happy to read anything you feel like writing. I just started my own blog, so we’ll see how often I actually post.
Happy New Year! I miss a Perry in the Parade post this year? I’ve been a bit absent from the Internets as well. We always welcome Telling Dad posts–write on!
Wombat Central´s last post…First Lines of 2012
I don’t do New Years resolutions either.
I think anything a person wants to try to do or not do can be attempted at any time of the year.
It’s your blog, if you want to post 20 times about silly stuff go for it. I susect that most readers like me will still be here, appreciating what you’ve got to say for whatever it’s worth that day, be it silly, thoughtful or inspiring.
Happy New Year!
I think that may not have sounded quite right. What I meant was, if you post 2 or 20 times, we’ll be here. We enjoy your writing and hey, we’re all human and have our moments. It’s your blog and you can write what you want when you want, whether it be 2 or 20 times, no matter what the topic.
Can’t wait to read what you have got to say!
Yeah, well, I’d rather read 20 crappy posts from you than none at all. Even when you think you’re being crappy, you usually crack me up. Or make me think. Or even just temporarily distract me from the clustercluck that is my own life right now, and don’t think that’s a small deal. So write your crap. I guarantee some of us will enjoy it.
So glad to hear you’ll be writing more. I, too, check every day to see if there’s something new. Your writing always makes my day start off a little brighter!
I’m one of those leading a boring life in perpetual solitude (and my worst fault is exaggeration), so please write on!
There’s nothing I hate more than getting to the end of the internet. You know, when you’ve checked all your favourite sites and there is nothing left to read. I don’t care what you write – just entertain me!
~ From a fellow squidgy un-tri-athlete.
Looking forward to any and all posts! Yeah!!! And Happy New Year!!
I check to see if you’ve written something every weekday. So if you write, I will read. Vaya con Dios.
For me it is not so much of a resolution thing but just the end of the holidays always marks getting back to healthy non-sugary eating…which is my normal life if I am not being surrounded by sugary baked holiday treats and relatives forcing them on me.
I want to stretch more, so I can be more flexible. I lift weights and exercise pretty frequently and if I don’t set myself up for stretching, I tend to bypass it and lose flexibility. So I need to stretch more.
I do write a lot, have several blogs I keep up, but I am a slacker at actually tackling the writing projects I have, like two children’s books I want to write and my actual hardbound journal (which gets ignored by my blogs). I would like to be better about doing those things.
Lastly, (and this would add to both of the things above), is to better my time management skills. This would improve my life on so many levels that it is pretty much a no brainer that I need to tackle this goal. I seem to be a procrastinator these days in so many ways (not just in stretching and writing) and focusing on my time management skills is key to fixing this. Turning off the TV would be a good start…LOL
Mishka´s last post…Photo Projects Gone
I don’t do resolutions either, and I visit your blog every day in hopes of seeing a new post! I rarely post a comment to your posts because I feel my comments aren’t witty, or funny, or the other posters already said what I would say. But this year I’m going to make a resolution! I’m going to post a comment whenever you post. And maybe we can both overcome our “fear” of writing something that we feel isn’t worthy enough. So it begins….
You know what you could do? Place a disclaimer on top of each post this year, saying something to the lines of “In 2013 I made a resolution to post 5 times a week, no matter how little time I had to write it or how bad the post is. Read at your own peril.”
That should help free your mind of concerns about “what readers will think” and focus on writing. Who knows, all this practice may result in something big
.
What you think sucks is better than 95% of what is out there on the ‘net. Maybe 99%. Write on. I’m one of those checking almost every day, too. Throw me a bone.
Count me in! Um, on the no resolution thing I mean. And also on looking forward to more posts! I use Feed Demon so it checks for new posts every day (which is the same as if I did it personally right?). Greg, your writing never fails to make me smile or laugh out loud. I love your take on things in general, and especially the love you have for your family. Keep it up and we’ll be here.
bla bla bla………………..?
I hear ya. But right now, life events take precedence.