Our Meaningful New Year’s Resolutions
Is it me or does the thought of making New Year’s Resolutions seem to start a spiral of self-loathing and disappointment? While I am a big believer in self-improvement, failing to keep your resolutions can feel like you’re falling short on your own expectations.
This year, Rob and I talked about how we want to grow both individually and as a family, and we have decided on “resolutions” that are doable, meaningful, and fit into our lifestyles. They capture our desires to experience new adventures and seek out new challenges.
As parents, it matters to us to show our sons that we can make goals and challenge ourselves at any stage in life. We want them to see the discipline it takes to reach our goals and we want to share in the process with them.
Rob’s Resolution: Rob wants to mountain bike more miles this coming year. In 2019 he rode 1,200 miles – no small feat on the hilly trails near our home! Next year he wants to bike 1,300 miles. He has recently been sharing his mile tally with the kids whenever he comes home from a ride. They may laugh at his excitement, but I know that by sharing his goals with them, they are connecting with him and learning how it feels to accomplish what you set out for.
My Resolution: I want to take a class. While it is always hard to make time, I want to take a photography class to keep growing my skills. I think it is important to carve out time for more in-person learning - no offense, YouTube! Plus, I always end up meeting amazing and interesting people when I step out of my bubble.
Family Resolution: This year, we really want to help the boys get more engaged in things that they are curious about. We want them to tap into their sense of exploration, curiosity, and adventure, so this year we are encouraging them to try new things and follow their own interests. And we all win if this helps with them not being attached to their electronic devices! And as hard as it is, we need to put better structure into place so their phones don’t take over our time to connect as a family.
While there are some things we will leave behind in 2019, I hope to bring my GIFT philosophy into the coming year. This stands for Generous Impulse Follow-Through. I am trying to train myself to follow through more often with those little impulses I have (and I am sure you do too!) Like the other day, I was doing errands before a writer’s group. I saw some peppermint bark and thought I could get some for the instructor. I thought that would be ridiculous – I hadn’t even met her yet! But I put aside my own excuses and just bought it for her. She was thrilled by the gesture!
So this year, more creativity, more connecting, more generosity.
How about you?