2008 Resolutions Challenge

As I have been leafing through the plethora of magazines I now receive...Thanks West Middle School for that fundraiser...I have been reading all the New Year Resolutions garble and decided to actually set some of my own for 2008.

I have NEVER been one to set resolutions as it means to make a permanent change and maybe I never wanted to commit to a permanent change...well I did get married & had 2 kids...I guess those are permanent. And since I over-analyze things half the time, I always wondered why friends who make lists, put Lose Weight at the top of their list...is that a permanent change. Not in my book. The permanent change is eating habits or exercise habits or sewing your mouth shut and the result is loss of weight. If Lose Weight is on the list every year for the past 20 years, shouldn't they be birth weight by now? Usually that fleeting thought is gone in one month and at the end of the year, instead of losing 10-20 pounds, you've gained 10-20 pounds.

So back to the resolutions! I decided to commit to change on 5 things...some harder, requiring more time & effort, some not so hard...but I think the hardest thing was to come up with 5.

1. Read 50 books (added reading log on my blog)
Is this really a resolution or a goal? Well, I never really tracked how many books I've read since I started reading again a few years back...and if I can make this into a permanent change in my life, just think, in 10 years I will have read 500 books.

2. Life at the Gym - minimum 3 days a week
Although my goal is get to 5 days right now while I'm not working...if I can make a permanent change with 3 days forever, I'll be able to have my cake & eat it too...after I shed all those pounds from eating my cake without exercising.

3. Blog at least twice a week
So, sometimes I get occupied or can't get onto the computer as everyone else is on it...maybe it's time to invest in another? But if I can focus at least twice a week, it may increase to once a day...that's scary thought...as well as not to be so long...as I've been told. Hey, I may be getting interactive with you...so watch for more challenges!

4. Get & Stay Organized
So I always thought I was an organized person, but not in all aspects of life. I may be able to create organized vacations, get my work files together, but if you opened my bathroom drawers or saw my basement right now, you'd wonder if I was totally out of my mind. So while I'm off I want to de-clutter my home & hopefully that will help me stay organized and make a permanent change in my lifestyle...or maybe it's organized clutter.

5. Make my Family #1
Sad to say, my true calling in life was NOT to be an adorning wife & doting mother. And I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid to become that either! But, my family has always taken the backseat to my work life, and while I'm STILL adjusting to the transition, I am working to make sure I can be there for them by saying "no" to other things....within reason. I am not going to forgo a night out with friends to sit and watch them play with their DS...but to really work to create a better family life...less arguing, more playtime :)

So, now they are in writing for me to make the steps for change....I'll keep you posted!

Challenge for you....what life changes are you read to commit?