I started a blog about a month ago. It's really just a place for me to keep track of my ideas and goals. It's nice since I can access it from any computer. The thought of other peolpe viewing it is intriguing, but the blog is really just for me. If no one ever notices it's there, that's OK also.
I did post some new years resolutions on the blog and it involves KTC and my quit, so... I'll share it here.
New Year's Resolutions - 2012
I have made a lot or resolutions in the past that started on January first. (Typically, I'd have an good idea in my head of what my resolution would be well before the approaching new year, and would not start until the new calendar was hung on the wall) My typically resolution of past years has been either 1. Lose weight or 2. Quit dipping or both. You would think at 37 years old and after many years of making the same resolutions, I would have learned that maybe new year's resolutions may not be the best mechanism for goal setting. I think that there is something about the first day of the year that makes these plans fail. Resolutions that require daily work and a high level of attention should not be started on January the first. It seems that after a couple of weeks of maintaining focus and motivation on the new resolution, that novelty of a new year wears off and old habits return. Once the momentum of a new diet is lost (by gaining back 5 of the 10 pounds lost) or relapsing on a nicotine addiction, the resolution that was started on the great day, 1/1/XXXX, lost it's mojo.
This year I quit dipping. After over 20 years of being a slave to the can, I flushed a full can of Copenhagen down the toilet on 10/18/11 and have been nicotine free since. No patch, no pill, no suppository (Confession - I have ate a LOT of sunflower seeds and chew mint leaves) In quitting, I have learned:
1. Don't set a date to begin. If it is worth doing, it's worth doing now.
2. Be accountable. If I say I'm going to do something, JUST DO IT.
So, this year my resolutions are going to be a little different. They are not life changing, they do not require a lot of effort, they simple, quaint, and attainable.
1. State Park - I live 10 minutes from a State Park. I have lived this close for over 3 years and have only visited the park once. Why in the world would I not take advantage of something so close that I really enjoy? In 2012, I will visit the State Park at least 3 times.
2. Read - I already read quite a bit. It is usually (95% of the time) a non-fiction. My bookshelf is full of books that tell me how to do everything from build furniture out of 2X4s to how to train for a marathon. There a books teaching me leadership skills, how to make a million dollars, and how to "get over it". In 2012, I will read a least 3 books that are not non-fiction; books written purely for entertainment.
3. Build something - I have a lot of tools. I have books (see above). In 2012, I will build something and I'll be proud of it.
Here is the accountability part, even it is just to myself.
State Park
Date Visited -
Date Visited -
Date Visited -
Book 1 -
Date started -
Date completed -
Book 2 -
Date started -
Date completed -
Book 3 -
Date started -
Date completed -
What did I build -
Date started -
Date completed -
