Many people scoff at the idea of a resolution. However, if you want to achieve something you've got to set a goal. Why not harness the energy and vitality a brand new year provides and set some goals for yourself? Whether you call it a goal or a resolution, it doesn't really matter. The key is to take actionable steps to reach those goals.
To give you a little inspiration, I asked the Joyous team what their New Year's Resolutions were and here's what they said... including my own:
JOY'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Since baby Vienna came into our world, my life has changed dramatically. I have less time for many of the things I used to do.. like brushing my hair (haha!) but more love and more happiness than I ever thought possible. Being a business owner, a mom and a wife is a balancing act. Sometimes I feel like I'm winning and sometimes I feel like I'm losing. So, here's my goal .. no matter what I'm doing, I will be 100% present. If I'm playing with Vienna or taking her for a walk, I don't want to interrupt this by responding to an email. If I need to get a blog post or a presentation written or a recipe created I want to be 100% in it. No matter what I'm doing, I will schedule time even if it's just 45 minutes where I know I can be completely immersed in my task.
Before my pregnancy I was in the best shape physically of my entire life. I did Barre 3 times a week, yoga, and walked lots. I felt really strong! Now that I'm a mama life has become that much busier and I really do need to schedule everything in because Vienna can't come to a Barre class with me... yet. I do have a wonderful partner who is more than happy to be with Vienna while I do a barre class or yoga. I need to take advantage of this! So, I've booked my first class back at Barre for January 10 - woohoo!
WALKER'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
(Finally) Learn an Instrument
This time last year I received a beautiful acoustic guitar for Christmas. I had full intentions of becoming somewhat proficient before Vienna arrived, but after watching a bunch of YouTube video's a few online lessons, the guitar spent most of the year in its case. This year, whether it's the guitar or another instrument, I'm going to commit myself to consistently learning it throughout the year. I can have a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to work, so aside from being a great skill set, it's the perfect way for me to switch gears, reset and distract myself for a few hours a week.
KATE'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
I’ve been practising yoga for over 11 years, but this past fall, I had a rather unpleasant experience that kind of caused me to fall out of love with yoga for a little while. I’ve struggled to separate the unpleasantness of the experience from the practice of yoga that I used to love so much, so I stopped teaching, stopped going to classes, and eventually stopped practising altogether. Friends and family noticed, and have been encouraging me to get back to yoga ever since. In 2016, I’m going to take their advice and get back to the yoga practice that’s meant so much to me for over a decade.
I’ve been watching Joy work away on her upcoming book in 2015, and it’s left me feeling both guilty and inspired. I’ve been toying with writing a novel for years, and there are chapters for several different story ideas languishing on my hard drive. 2016 is going to be the year I pick one of those story ideas and finish writing a novel. I’ve cleared space in my study, updated my laptop, bought notebooks and pens, and gathered all my research materials. I’m out of reasons to procrastinate! If all goes according to plan, this time next year I should have a book of my very own to tell all the joyous readers who also happen to dig historical fiction about.
So there you have it! The resolutions and goals from the Joyous Team.
What's yours? Share below!
For 2016 I have three resolutions: to cut my refined sugar intake by half (I am absolutely addicted to chocolate and ice cream), to get back into exercise (I used to be a dedicated runner but got injured and haven't done anything else since September!) and to stop spending on unnecessary things like makeup and other beauty products. Good luck to you guys on your resolutions!
ReplyJoy! I love your Resolutions for 2016! Good job getting back to your fitness passion. I also am going to try my hardest to be present with my family of 5. I easily get distracted - writing, blogging, or researching healthy. So I need to do that on my own time. I also want to keep up my fitness, healthy eating and wake up each morning being grateful. I also need to make more time for my friends and to be a better listener! I love your blog!!
ReplyHi Joyous Team, One of my resolutions is to drink lemon in filtered room temperature water every morning on waking. I'm confused though - how do I get "room temp" water first thing? If I leave my Brita in the fridge overnight to prevent mold from building in the filter, it is cold and takes a long time to warm up. Do I use lukewarm tap water? I can't install a water filtration system to my faucet. Thanks for the advice on how to do this, and happy new year!
ReplyLaura, I just pour my water from my Brita right before I go to sleep and it sits on the counter (covered) overnight:)
I usually don't like to make resolutions, but what I do want is to focus on clean eating!! I would also like to practice yoga on a regular basis!! Id like a lot more but I'm afraid if I don't succeed I will beat myself up and I really would like to be kind to myself!!
ReplyI am a big fan of setting resolutions/intentions/goals whatever you want to call them and this year I have two main ones! First is to put my phone down for the night until morning at 9 pm (so far so good, and noticing benefits already) Second is to soak and cook my own beans! Salt free bpa free canned beans are so expensive where I live and of course it goes without saying canned are the less healthier of the two options. I've struggled with this in the past due to poor meal scheduling and how long it takes but making it a priority this year!
ReplyThis is a lovely post to read on a Saturday morning. Thank you for sharing! Once I'm done getting married (in 6 weeks!) I'm going to focus on developing my interests into something more than a hobby. My passion = learning and living about health, food, exercise, and nutrition. I've been taking baby steps along the last 5 or so years, including help from Joy while attending her Eat Well, Feel Well course. I also completed my PT certification in the spring, for the sake of nothing more than continued education. Now that I have a foundation, I want to see where it can take me. I've always dreamed of starting a neighbourhood boot camp....let's see where my dreams can take me. Thanks for being a cornerstone in my journey.
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