Was watching an episode of the Oprah Show on the topic of “An Overwhelmed Mother’s Deadly Mistake”. One particular message stood out for me (from Zen Teacher Norman Fischer):

…our state of mind and our attitude is our most precious gift that we give to each other…

Sometimes I think there is so much to do that I can never do it all. I don’t mean just work or chores although of course those are always piling up for all of us if we don’t keep on top of them. I’m talking about the big ticket dream project items like “learn to play the piano better”, “get fit” or “write that best selling novel”.

Of course none of those is going to happen in a few minutes. But they just might happen over the course of a whole lot of sets of a few minutes. Half an hour a day freed up to spend on those tasks will get you there eventually.

Which is why this post by Seth Godin on the topic of “Is effort a myth?” really resonated with me. He is talking about how we seem be constantly fed, and sometimes willingly accept, the idea that getting somewhere is more a matter of luck than effort. We forget that what we do every day, even if it is only a small amount each day, counts for a lot more that what we do only sometimes.

So rescuing short spaces of time from our daily routine to put towards our dreams and goals counts for a lot. I’m not sure how this can be framed as a resolution at this point, because I would like to be specific rather than general on this point. I want to resolve to achieve specific dreams by specific steps rather than be all “airy fairy” and leave myself unaccountable. (If you can’t measure your progress how will you know if you’re meeting your goal?) So at the moment I’m just trying to decide how much time to rescue from my daily routine and from where. What to do with it can be the task for another day.

Time for a change…

New Year’s Day is such an artificial deadline. We make promises to ourselves at the end of the old year with the unspoilt beauty of the new year in front of us, while drinking champagne and partying, and we break them within a few days without a whole lot of thought…

I ran across this article today in the New York Times and was interested to read that there is increasing evidence that taking vitamin supplements doesn’t help you in the long run. In fact in some cases it has a detrimental effect on your long term health.

I don’t take many vitamins right now, I am taking folic acid because we are considering trying for a baby in the new year, but this seems, apart from Calcium/vitamin D in the over 65s, to be the only vitamin that they are really recommending anyone bother with.

I was thinking about adding “Take a Multivitamin” as part of the list of Resolutions but this article has really made me rethink that position.

This is actually a resolution I’ve been applying to myself for a while now and my girlfriends and I have nicknamed it “The Fabulosity Rule”. I’m not a huge fan of clothes shopping. Sometimes it is tiring and demoralising because the current season’s colours aren’t really you, or you don’t look hot in the low slung jeans that are being sold this year. Basically I was tired of buying clothes for myself “because I need a new workshirt” when the only options I had found so far didn’t suit me as well as I would like.

Now perhaps this sounds like a “no-brainer” but when you get tired during the shopping process you can get slightly irrational and you make a bargain with yourself that you’ll just get this shirt “becuase it’s better than nothing.” So you end up with a shirt that doesn’t make you look your best, and you end up wearing it for the next six or twelve months or more because you don’t want to waste the money you spent on it.

Now “The Fabulosity Rule” works like this. Before you ever buy anything you ask yourself one question i.e. “Does this (shirt/skirt/dress/whatever) make me look and feel fabulous?” and if the answer is no, then you don’t buy it. It reminds you not to compromise when you’d really be happier in the long term if you were a bit choosier. You’re better off making do until you find one that you’ll really ENJOY wearing every single time that you wear it.

So I’m going to add this to the resolution list to make sure I’m sticking to my guns.

Resolution #2: Remember ”The Fabulosity Rule”.

That’s it! Really really bad habit identified almost immediately. As I sat down to think about what to write in this post I found myself setting out a little snack of crackers and dip on the table next to me. I wasn’t even hungry, it just seemed like the right time for a snack, like it had so many times recently. Which no doubt will be one reason I’ve been putting on weight lately.

Snacking while using the laptop is an especially bad habit because my job is one where I am using a laptop all the time. But I’ve been noticing that my snacking is out of control recently. It has become a habit. So I packed up the dip and crackers and put them away. Instead, I got up and had a drink of water and then brushed my teeth.

So I’ve identified resolution number one. I’ve decided to make it broader than just “don’t snack”. It will be most helpful to think a lot more about what, where, when and how I eat. I will stop eating on the run. I will not to eat unless I am actually hungry. I will only eat what I need. If I do feel like a snack, I’ll try to substitute a glass of water instead.

Resolution #1 – Eat mindfully.

Perhaps an especially good resolution heading into the holiday season. If I can get this habit established now, it should help me keep my weight under control over the holidays. I’ll let you know how I go.

2009 will be the first “Year of the New Me”.

It’s time to make some changes for the better. But New Year’s Day is such an artificial deadline. We make promises to ourselves at the end of the old year with the unspoilt beauty of the new year in front of us, while drinking champagne and partying, and we break them within a few days without a whole lot of thought.

So I’m going to do something different. I’m going to make today the day for change - 18 November 2008. I’m going to start the change by thinking about it. I’ll keep myself accountable by recording my successes and failures right here in this blog. Starting today I’m going to keep track of my life, decide what I need to do, and then make the changes to get back on top of it.

We’re not talking just physical changes, although yes, I could stand to get into shape and I could exercise more, drink less, eat better…mmm…ok some of those will have to be included on the list. However my list will also include improving my life in other ways, expanding my horizons, learning to let go, reaching for some dreams, becoming happier.

Should be an interesting journey…