Good Intentions in the New Year

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author Unknown

A new beginning is here. You can hear the fresh cries of innocence, and, for once, I can rest assure, it isn’t my toddler pleading to watch “Dora the Explorer”. It’s baby New Year announcing his arrival for 2006. Yep, it’s here – a new year, a fresh start, a bright beginning. A year filled with exciting dreams, wishes, and resolutions. And, my first resolutions is not to use the word resolution. Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of resolutions; I just don’t like the word. It’s too absolute. I prefer fanciful ambition and good intentions. Ahh, yes, I feel better already. Still filled with the yearly standards I intend to do – spend more time with family and friends, lose weight, exercise more...my good intention list no longer has unrealistic pressure (losing 20 lbs in a week), and has now added more room for life’s predictable – and usually welcome – interruptions (cloud gazing with my kids, field trips, surprise date nights, and, events no parent can ignore, sick children.) Whatever your word preference is, though, the end result is the same. You want to make a positive change in your life.

Setting and planning for your new year’s resolutions takes preparation. Unfortunately, many of us set unrealistic targets when it comes to these resolutions. We enjoy the fantasy of what it will be like when we achieve it, but come mid-February we are hard-pressed to remember exactly why, and sometimes what, we are trying to achieve. We may still see the big picture, but forget the baby steps that can get us there. For example, think back to when your child first ran around the block He didn’t start out running, right? Your baby started with, well, baby steps. He worked those leg muscles, practiced pulling up on furniture, and took a few anxious footfalls, stumbled quite a bit, and finally, starting walking. Eventually that walk turned into a full-speed run. It didn’t happen overnight for your child, though, and reaching your goal isn’t going to happen overnight either. Rather than working toward immediate perfection, strive for repeated progress. A few quick success strategies for reaching your dreams include:

• Having a strong commitment towards this resolution.
  
• Breaking each goal into a series of small, painless challenges.
  
• Creating a personal support group to keep you motivated and accountable.
  
• Creating a roadmap for success. Answer the how’s, whys, what’s, where’s and who’s.
  
• Expecting interruptions and have a plan for coping with them.
  
• Keeping track and rewarding your progress.
  
• Counting your blessings everyday.
  
• Embracing those who love and care for you exactly how you are.

And, just to be fair to the flip side, surefire strategies for disappointment include:

• Setting a goal or resolution without any planning.
  
• Making a reactionary resolution, like “Oh my gosh, I resolve never to travel with my kids again – ever!”
  
• Being completely absolute about your resolution. The only absolute you can ever make comes from the super-sly James Bond - “Never say never again.”

Over this next year some of your resolutions (or fanciful ambition and good intentions) will be met. Others may fade away quietly and some will go out with a big boom. And, that’s okay. Goals change. In fact, they should change to reflect the events and stages in your life. Whatever happens, however, be sure to take pride in your courage to make positive changes that will benefit not only you, but your family as well. Enjoy these ambitious steps towards reaching your goals and dreams. It will be a thrilling, tantalizing, and even tiring trot, but you will be moving toward creating the changes and life you desire. Enjoy the journey...I know I intend to.

Best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Julie Watson Smith, mom of three and founder of Mommy Hullabaloo. More than just a parenting column, it is a national company inspiring moms to get organized and energized while learning, living, and loving the chaos of mommyhood! Julie is also the author of Mommyhood Diaries: Living the Chaos One Day at a Time (Wyatt McKenzie Publishing, 2005) and the upcoming Mommy Hullabaloo’s Guidebook to Learning, Living and Loving the Chaos of Mommyhood (TBD). Visit Julie at www.mommyhullabaloo.com.