New Year...New Resolutions?

It's that time of year again. That time of year where everyone decides that they are going to make changes in their lives once the new year starts. There are those who want to live better lives. Those who want to lose weight and be healthier. Those who want to reconnect with lost relationships and countless other resolutions. Every year, I make resolutions, promises, to myself. Every year, I break those promises. Never have I shared those promises with anyone but this year I am determined to be different. This year, I am sharing my promises with you in hopes that you will help me stay accountable for my actions in 2015.

Now, the key to resolutions is to make them broad, yet specific enough that the end goal is clear. Your resolutions should have steps and small goals to help you reach the bigger objective. Maybe you don't know what those steps are just yet but that is okay! You can figure them out as you go along.

As you make your list of New Years Resolutions, make a list of rewards as well. There is nothing more rewarding as getting a little present once you reach a goal or objective. It doesn't have to be anything big or even when you reach your major goal, but treating yourself when you accomplish something will help you stay on track and help you achieve your resolutions...or as I call them... promises.

So, to get started, here are my 2015 promises to myslef

1: Live a healthy lifestyle.
    I know what you are thinking, this has to be the most popular one, right? While you may have a point, this is one that I have made to myself for many years but can't seem to keep. Even working in a fitness center, exercising regularly and eating right seems harder than ever. Maybe that's because I work in a fitness center... makes it harder to stay and workout after a shift. Anyway, back on track. A few weeks ago, I tried CrossFit for the first time and while it scared the hell out of me and made it so I couldn't walk for a week... I loved every minute of it. I have decided to join the CrossFit gym in 2015. Maybe by paying for a membership, I will be more inclined to go and also, it's away from my work and coworkers. CrossFit is intense and hard and reminds me of workouts for high school sports. I hope to not only make working out part of my daily routine, but I hope to see some results physically in the process as well.

2: Honesty.
    This one is a little harder to explain. Honesty has never been something that I excelled at, not only with others but with myself as well. One of my goals for 2015 is to be honest with myself and those around me. I have seen too many relationships and friendships ruined because of lies and hidden truths and I don't want that to become who I am. I need to remind myself to be honest...especially with myself and those I care about.

3: Read more.
    Read more books. Read more short stories. Read more newspapers. Just READ MORE! That's my promise. I love reading and I have stacks of books in my bedroom but lately, I find myself reluctant to read, always opting out for something less rewarding, like Netflix. Inside the pages of a book are great adventures just waiting to be discovered and I miss finding and taking on those adventures. There is nothing like opening a new book and learning about the characters and their life story and when you finish that last page, it's almost a feeling of sadness because you want the story to continue. My goal for 2015 is to find 12 new books by the end of the year that I found to be life-changing. Of course, I plan on reading more that one book a month, but finding 12 that really stand out will be a challenge, and one that I can't wait to take on.

4: Find my true self.
    I don't exactly know how to explain this one. The past few months, I have felt lost in what I really want to do with my life after college. Now that graduation is right around the corner... it's time to figure that out. I also need to find out who I am... away from this place that I have called home for 22 years. I want to travel and see the world and figure out who I am as an individual and I want to figure out where I belong. One thing I do know is that I don't belong here. This city is way too small...way too constricting. I need a city that is always changing and always evolving. I love being around lots of people and I love the thought of always having something new to check out or explore. Although this one might be hard to accomplish in a year, I hope to get a good start on it by time 2016 rolls around.

5: Learn A New Language.
    This is one that I put on Facebook tonight and one I really hope to stick to. I want to learn a new language, or two or three. Can I accomplish this in a year? Maybe. The most obvious language to learn has to be Spanish and while that seems practical and probably the most convenient... that isn't necessarily the only one I want to learn. As someone who has a large Greek heritage...hard to tell with my fair skin and blonde hair...I hope to learn Greek. Will I ever get to use it here in the states? Probably not very often, but it is still something I hope to learn. Another language that I want to try and tackle is Sign Language. It's an interesting language and something that has intrigued me for years.

Those are five of my New Years Resolutions... or like I said above...promises.