5 Tips For Badass 2012 Resolutions.

Posted by Tiff in Momsanity | 4 comments

I’m back, bitches! I know you’re probably wondering what the freak happened, but that involves Russians, hackers, viruses, and lots of html code. And while it sounds like the plot to the next Bond movie, it’s not all that exciting. It’s so not exciting, I don’t even want to talk about it. It was terrible having a forced sabbatical for 2 months. So let’s just say, I missed you! You all missed me so much you cried every night, I know. But everything is OK now, and I’ll never leave you like that again!

Anyhoo….let’s instead talk about resolutions!!!! Fuck yeah, right?! Or maybe no. I mean, resolutions are a double edged sword. On the one hand they promise that if we can just do these few things, then we’ll be better. Do better. Feel better. For one short period of time we have hope that we can solve our problems by cutting out sugar, going to the gym, meditating 3 times a week, and not yelling at our kids at the end of the day. Thinking about how great we’ll be if we manage to keep up with our resolutions is a bit like walking out of The Container Store with a shopping cart full of organizational objects that will singlehandedly make our lives perfect. Except, they rarely do. And we end up with hundreds of dollars of plastic crap and the same issues we had before we walked into the stupid store.

I want you to be successful in your resolutions, whatever they may be. I don’t want you to end up in mid-Feb feeling hopeless and lame because you’re not meditation/going to the gym/cutting out sugar/etc… I want you to create space for things in your life that you are so happy with, you continue them well into 2013 and the rest of your life. So, here’s some tips that I find helpful:

Tip 1:
Don’t call it a resolution! “Resolutions” are for Founding Fathers and lawyers. “Resolutions” are chores. Burdens, by the end of February. “Resolutions” are kinda boring. But if we go for, lets say, experiences, then that’s a totally different thing. Experiences are fun, life expanding, adventurous! And that’s exactly what we want 2012 to be, right?! So instead of resolving to do boring shit, kick it up and decide to have epic experiences in 2012! Don’t just vow to go to the gym. Boring! Sign up for a half marathon! Vow to summit a nearby mountain! Backpack for a week along a trail. Sign up for Warrior Dash or Muddy Buddy. (all these things can be with or without kids…) Make your experience something awesome and not just a means to an end!

Tip 2:
Get fun! Now that’ we’re not dealing with tedious things that are “good for me” we can embrace things that are freaking awesome! It’s the difference between eating frozen peas just to get it over with, and finding a delicious frittata recipe with a bunch of favorite veggies cooked inside. Don’t resolve to go to the gym every day if you don’t love going to the gym. If getting in shape is the end game, though, then skip the gym and find other options…zumba, aerobic burlesque & pole dancing (yep, this exists. and yep, it’s fun!), hula hooping for 30 min. a day (great core workout!), etc. Take your normal ‘resolutions’ (yawn!) and then kick them up a notch. Find out of the box ways to get them done. Join local groups for rowing, or running, or cooking, or anything. Become a certified scuba diver! Swim every day in preparation for a snorkeling trip where you get to swim with dolphins. Make your experiences worth having!

Tip 3:
Be invested in it! Find things that are emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually meaningful to you. WHY do you want to do something routinely if it’s not something you value? For every experience you invite into your life, ask yourself why you want to do it. If it’s not something that totally resonates with you, then move on. Right now 2012 is like a genie in a bottle, just waiting for you to verbalize your dreams into existence! So don’t waste your time with things that aren’t absolutely fulfilling and meaningful!

Tip 4:
Emotions are experiences too! Don’t look outward for things to experience so much that you neglect what’s inside. Experience emotions. And the more emotionally connected you are to yourself, the more nurturing, intuitive, and accepting you will be of the things you need in your life. For instance, “I want to lose weight” usually carries with it some emotional baggage. Instead, think about how you feel when you are at your target. Energetic? Happy? Sexy? Free? Make feeling those the focus of your experience…not just by losing weight but by doing things in your life that make you feel that way. You may discover that you are actually really happy without losing weight, that what you really wanted was the emotions that are available in other outlets. Or you may discover that you really do want to lose weight, and when you go after it because it makes you feel so good, then the early morning gym times won’t feel *quite* as burdensome!

Tip 5:
Don’t do anything to change yourself. It’s all too common that the roots of wanting to change oneself spring from seeds of frustration, shame, anger, guilt, or embarrassment. And that will grow nothing but more frustration, shame, anger, guilt, or embarrassment. (ie., me by mid March after bailing out on all my well intended resolutions…) If you are sitting here reading about resolutions and thinking that there are so many things you would change about yourself if you could, then probably the best experience you can have is to make 2012 all about accepting WHO YOU ARE instead of WHO YOU WISH YOU WERE. Experience you. All of you. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Start a self portrait project. Take yourself out on dates all by yourself. Get to know you and become your best friend. Face your monsters and invite them to your pajama party. From what I hear, you can really party!

To make 2012 more badass than ever, then you need something more badass than boring resolutions. You need awesome experiences and the will to follow through with completing them. So lets do this thing!

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