My New Years Makeover

If you read my last blog post, you know that last week I went through a transformation. I was in panic/self mode crisis for all of 48 hours, after pushing down my authentic self for nearly a month. All is good now. My energy and zest have returned and I’m heading full force with a new project. Actually, it’s not new, it’s old and it’s getting a “Makeover.”

The start of a new year is the most common time for makeovers. It’s fresh, it’s new, it feels like new energy comes breezing over you. But usually after a few weeks, it feels old and stale and not so great. (I think something like 93% of people give up on their resolutions by Valentines Day…don’t quote me on the specifics, though).

You realize that it doesn’t have to be that way, though, right? I mean, there was a time when I too made resolutions (lose 10 lbs, exercise more, each more broccoli, be nicer to my sister). But now that I think about it, I haven’t done it formally in years. Okay, I’m not old enough to talk like that, maybe 2 years (instead of sounding like it’s been 10 years).

Don’t get me wrong, I have goals. Lots of goals, in fact, daily I come up with new ideas and new avenues I want to pursue. BUT, I’m the kind of person that if I were to make them all “serious” like a New Years Resolutions, I’d rebel.

This is strange because I’m not a rebellious person. Actually, I’m the opposite. I’m a quiet, think before you leap, stick to the rules, kinda gal. But I don’t like to be tied down and I’m sort of a commitment phobe (again, a paradox I cannot explain for someone who married her high school sweetheart and lives happily in the suburbs). I think my issue is with the naming of things. New Year Resolutions…it just sounds ominous. I’m playing semantics here, but call them Life Vision Statements and I’m all over it.

Back to the purpose of this post…Makeovers. So New Years Resolutions, Makeovers, Life Visions  are all the same thing. It’s saying to yourself and the world, “I’m ready to make a different choice in my life so that things will get better.”

My New Years Resolutions/Life Vision Statements/Makeover:

1. Work less. Work out more. (I enjoy exercise…after the fact. And like most things in my life, I get really enthusiastic about it until it gets boring. Then I need to take a break or move on. I like flow yoga. I hate Pilates (GASP) but I like how flexible and strong I feel after. I like running, only after I’ve been doing it a while and can run longer than 5 minutes at a time. AND Yes, I’m running the same 10k race with my DH this year. Need that goal to make me actually commit and exercise frequently)
2. Work less. Watch more TV. (I’ve been married for 3.5 years, and we’re at the point where mid-week, TV time is Quality Time. This means I might have to leave my Twitter and Facebook Friends before the regulatory 9pm. Maybe I’ll only work until 7pm, 3 days a week. One of those days must be Thursday, because FRINGE is one of my favourite shows.)
3. Cook more. I like to cook, I just hate cleaning up. And I’m not lucky enough to have a “the cook doesn’t clean” rule in my house. I cook, I clean and I’m okay with it….because I’m a perfectionist who chooses peace in the marriage over a dirty kitchen and a cranky husband. (Yes, he is spoiled…and so am I)
4. Spend more time with face-to-face friends and family. I LOVE my social media friends. I really do! Can’t believe how many awesome people I get to engage with every day. BUT, sometimes you just need a hug from your mom or best friend. Neither of which live near me. Which means I need to make more of an effort to travel.
5. Date my husband. On some of those nights where I’m not working past 7pm, I would like to date the tall handsome guy living in my house. Maybe dinner and a movie other than the obligatory Anniversary date…which we usually forgo because I’m a better cook than what we can get in any restaurant around here, and we’re not really “movie” people.
6. Wear perfume. I’m not a perfume girl. BUT I did buy some I love (actually, I think it’s called LOVE), and I’m telling you, it changes everything about you! Put a little perfume on and see how it changes your attitude. How can you not feel like a sexy bombshell when you’re smelling good?
7. Forget being responsible for 7 days.  Time for some fun! We’re leaving frugality behind for one week this winter and going somewhere warm. Forget building a new garage or paying off the cars, we’re going on a trip. For most people this isn’t a big deal, but DH and I are “SAVERS”. BUT, we have decided that before we have to really settle down and become responsible adults (aka: have kids), we’re going to jet off to Mexico or Cuba or the Dominican Republic last minute (to save money, off course. ROFL) because we can. And I think this is a lesson that both of us need to learn…or maybe I’m just telling myself that.
   

I could also list the regulars like lose 10 lbs, double my business, run a marathon and write a book, but I have already done those things in previous years…so why do them again? I’ll focus my energy on things I TRULY want to change (focusing on my true priorities) and I probably will lose 10 lbs, double my business, run a marathon and write a book.

SO, I’m reaching the point of this post. WHAT are your true priorities? Do you need to makeover your New  Years Resolutions, or are they the same old ones that you just say because you feel like  you should? Take them less seriously, focus on something that you honestly want to change (maybe just one thing to start) and have more fun with it. You’ll accomplish it easier, and it will be way more fun. Try it, and then let me know how it goes!

NOTE: I have been informed by a good friend of mine who says that runners (real runners, which I am not) don’t take kindly to people like me who think that a 10 km race is a “marathon.” He is a real runner, and I stand corrected.