Sara's 10 Mini Resolutions for 2012

So here's the deal...
I find New Year's resolutions overrated. They are too-huge, too-broad, and often too-unatainable. Why do we chose to set ourselves up for failure so early in the year, so that we're just left feeling worse by the end of it? If we make promises like, "I'll exercise more," "I'll be on time more," "I'll quit drinking"(hah.. that one's just plain laughable)Then we will have no means of gauging whether or not we have attained our goals. More, Less--these words are ambiguous and objective and will not a successful resoultion make.

What I propose: I am setting 10 mini attainable goals for myself this year.
They will have measureable outcomes, they will be plainly stated, and even if I only make it through half of the things on the list, I will have kept 6 promises to myself before the world ends 2013. Here are 10 things I will try my hardest to make happen this year:

1. I have often made the promise of trying to exercise more...I'm sure we all have. But really... how easy is it to say, I'll walk tomorrow, or I'm too tired today. So this year, I will make a promise that I will keep. I will take either a belly-dancing or yoga class offered to the community by the local community college; you must register and pay for these classes, so that will keep me committed and dedicated to the cause.

2. I will read. I love reading books and have never had trouble keeping this promise to myself. However, I have often had trouble in making my reading a continuous venture. I am not putting any crazy restrictions on myself, other than I must be in the course of reading a book or looking for a book at all times. (Feel free to leave recommendations!) and check out my friend Brittany's book blog, The Bounty of my Bookshelves for some awesome recommendations!

3. I will do everything I can to remember peoples names. From my everyday life to my workday life, I am always meeting new people, and ALWAYS forgetting their names. A few tactics I've picked up and been working on are word associations (i.e. If I meet a Mike, think Mike-Bike, picture this Mike riding a bike and retain that info... the next time you see him, you'll be more inclined to think of that image and remembering will be easier) and also I have been saying in my head "what's your name-what's your name-what's your name" in my head as I shake someones hand to meet them. Then when they do introduce themselves, my attention is 100% focused on hearing their name. (seriously... this is so weird. But try it and tell me it doesn't work! Just keep it in your head, or it becomes even weirder).

4. I will try new foods. I have always been a picky eater. And I do NOT like seafood one bit. Try and try as I might, it grosses me out. So, being reasonable here, while I probably won't try everything offered to me, I am going to try to be more open-minded.

5. I will travel. This has always been easily attainable for me because A. I love planning things, B. I love my friends and we are always looking for new fun and exciting places to go together and C. Living in a small town gives me serious cabin fever, so I do it for my own mental health. The gals and I actually have a trip to New Orleans in the works in February, this summer we're heading to th finger lakes for their wine festival, and the end of the summer should bring another trip for me yet to be determined. Travelling? Check.

6. I have always considered myself an optimist. However, lately some things in my life have really had me down. I am going to try and make a conscious effort everyday to find something to be happy about--ideally I'll write them down, but I'm trying to be realistic here.

7. I will continue to regularly post to this blog :)

8. I am going to try to stop saying and/or thinking negative thoughts about people. I have never been the girl who has gotten pleasure from putting another person down. But I also know that there are times I am quick to judge, or think negative things about certain people around me. Even if the thoughts are justified, all they do is mess with your mojo and leave you feeling worse in my opinion. So I will try my hardest to be the best me I can be, and not let the way others act affect my intentions.

9. I will cook. Cooking isn't my thing. Like at all. Even though the things I make often turn out well and quite tasty at times--I make a mess, am unorganized, cannot multitask in the kitchen or am just plain clueless about certain techniques. Tasks that should take minutes, take me 15 minutes. I make scraping batter from a bowl look incredibly awkward. Being the daughter of a baking houdini (Mama D can whip up brownies in her sleep!) I definitely did not get the -bake-with-ease-gene. So I am going to try and practice a bit more so that maybe it will start to come easier to me.

10. I will be kind. I will help people I can help, and send happy thoughts to the ones I can't reach. I will stay involved in many of my volunteering ventures, and try to pick up some more along the way. Every person has in them the ability to make a change and a difference in the life of another, I truly believe this and will make it my mantra in 2012.

I have been thinking up this list since around Christmas time, and I feel pretty good about it. My bases are covered and I feel a strong sense of accomplishment just by writing them out and announcing them to the 10 people who regularly read our blog world.

We were proposed a challenge by fellow blogger Karah, at The Space Between. The challenge is to "Imagine the Possibilities... and while I'm not exactly following their exact challenge, I am challenging myself to accomplish some mini-impossibilities throughout the year. Check out Karah's page, and link up to to the challenge yourself here: