2012: A Year of Sacrifice, A Year of Discipline

I've been thinking for several weeks now about what my New Years Resolutions might be.  I know it's a bit early, but when I leave things to the last minute I get cranky.  Further, the holiday season is a busy time, and who has extra time to debate resolutions when there are Christmas presents to make, food to bake, a house to clean, and caroling to do?

So as I've been thinking, praying, and debating changes I can make to my life beginning in the new year, a thought struck me: do my New Years Resolutions ever stick?  Do I even remember my resolutions after, say, March?  What's the point, and what can I do instead? (since we can't possibly think about starting a new year without changing something in our lives).

2012 is going to be a NEW year for me.  I've been thinking about all the things I do, and all the people I've been blessed to know, and all the things on my bucket list that I haven't even begun to work toward.  What if, in lieu of a "new years resolution," I made a year-long commitment to create healthy habits? I'll learn a lot about sacrifice, I'll learn a lot about self-discipline and what fasting and cleansing are all about.  Here's my plan: for one entire month I will spend time doing one thing I've never done before.  Every month it will change to something new.  Each thing will require discipline and sacrifice, but will be positive, healthy, and beneficial.  For an ENTIRE YEAR.

I've learned a lot about myself in the last 26 years.  I am a sprinter for sure, definitely not a marathon-er. It's really easy (and habit) for me to get excited about something, come racing out of the gate at full speed, be incredibly passionate about whatever it is....and then just as quickly lose interest, inspiration, motivation, and energy, and I'm done.  What kind of life is that?  When I get married one day, it's going to be a marathon, not a sprint.  When I have kids one day, what kind of habits will I teach them to make, if I can't follow through with my own goals, rules, or interests?  This is the year I teach myself to run the race with perseverance.

I have created a list of things I can do each month.  I've decided not to plan ahead (this activity this month, that activity the next, and so on).  As each month comes to a close, I'll pray and meditate over which should come next, knowing that as the year progresses, my heart and my needs will be in different places.  Here's my working list:

1.  No tv/movies at all.  How much time do I waste sitting in front of a tv? Really, do I even know?  How much better can that time be spent investing in people, building relationships, doing something productive like working out or crafting or learning a new skill, reading a book, or spending time in God's Word?  My one exception to this will be if a group of people are going to see a movie and invite me along- then it will be viewed as a social event, a chance to invest in those relationships.  But I can't create an event like this.
2.  No fast food, no take out.  None.  At all.  I spend so much money eating food from drive-thrus.  How much would I save (both in money and in health) if I spent a few extra minutes a day preparing food for myself?  This will also force me to continue learning to cook (another very valuable skill). My one exception will be coffee.  Coffee, coffee, coffee.  Also, sit-down restaurants don't count.  Unless those sit-down restaurants include a drive-thru.  Then- NO.
3.  Read for 30 minutes a day. I haven't decided if that is going to be restricted only to nonfiction and, in particular, books that will teach something (i.e. a textbook, self-help book, or a history book), or if it will also be open to inspirational and fiction books.  No exceptions here.
4.  Learn new knitting skills, including spending the time and energy to knit a sweater (finally! It's been on my bucket list for SO LONG).
5.  Wake up one hour earlier than I normally do to dedicate a specific time to working out. I really have a problem starting new workout programs, hitting it hard for a week or two, and then peacing out.  This will be a really good one for me.  The exception will be on Sundays (since that is as close to a Sabbath as I get), or days when I work a double or triple at work...then I feel I deserve a break. :)
6.  Meditate 10 minutes every day.  I'm not sure if this will be one that takes up an entire month, or if it will just be incorporated into my time, in general.
7.  Drink ONLY water for a month.  No milk, no juice, no wine, no soda, no coffee (I know, right?!).  Further, I will drink a full 64 ounces a day, just like the food pyramid tells you to do. No exception here, unless you count milk in cereal or oatmeal an exception. Which I don't, because I won't technically be drinking it.
8.  Write a letter of encouragement to someone different, every day, and SNAIL MAIL it.  Boom.  I'm excited for this one!
9.  No computer after 8 or 9 at night. I haven't fully thought this out, since I work at night as well.  But I figure I spend too much time on facebook and twitter, and sometimes even here.  And since Ravelry and Pinterest are becoming huge distractions as well, I really think I need a cleanse from media.
10.  Before I purchase anything I'll take a full 5 minutes to really think about it, and decide if it's something I need or just simply want.  This includes movies, groceries, even something like gum.  If I decide it's not worth buying, whatever money I would have spent on the purchase goes directly and immediately into savings.  At the end of the month I will have saved, I'm sure, a great deal, and I will be made QUITE aware of how much money I needlessly waste every month.  Hopefully this will become a habit I carry on for life.
11.  Don't give in to any cravings.  I plan to do this by giving myself a full 20 minutes to decide for myself if it's really a craving (like Zeppoli- no one needs Zeppoli) or if it's something my body needs (like milk or meat).  This is going to be a tough one.  Necessary, but tough.
12.  Arrive a full 10 minutes early to absolutely everything.  I come from a habitually late family, which makes me habitually late.  No better time than the present to break bad habits.
13.  Spend 30 minutes a day learning new ASL skills.  Or learning a new language.  I want to be trilingual- what better time than now to get started?
14.  Buy nothing personal- nothing for myself.  No movies, no books, no clothes- nothing.  Even if it hurts because I feel I need it.  This will be a great reminder of how much stuff I have, and how much stuff I don't need.  This could potentially pair up with taking 5 minutes before I purchase anything, to make sure it IS something I need.
15.  Say absolutely nothing negative about myself, someone or something else.  Instead, when I feel the desire to say something negative or complain-y (even in jest) I have to replace that thought with something positive and encouraging.  No exception at all.  I am particularly excited about this idea.  Called into Girls/Women's Ministry, everything I say comes under scrutiny and is heard by the people around me.  Little things I think don't matter, or aren't important, can really affect people, especially women.  When I'm around my small group or my youth group girls, and I say something negative about my body or the way I look, even if I'm having a bad day or really feel like it's true, can really make an impression upon those women.  I need to be filling their hearts and minds with confidence, encouragement, and grace.  They need to know that even if you have crooked teeth, a big nose, or a few extra pounds around the middle, you can still be beautiful, graceful, confident, and assured of your place in the world.  And I need to know that, too.

This is just a list in progress, it can change, I can add to it or subtract from it.  But it's a start.

I realize that, in doing something consistently for a month, I will severely limit what I can do, but I figure this will teach me the invaluable skill of saying no.  Which is very much a skill I know nothing about.  There will, of course, be an exception to the rules, but when that comes up, I'll learn the value of what is truly important, and what is simply not necessary.  I'll learn to discern between the two.  Also, it takes 28 days to make a habit, and since most months are a little longer than that (ha!), this will be a great opportunity to create great habits. And since I'm a sprinter learning to be a marathon-er, having to do something consistently for a year will be incredibly difficult, but having the task or activity change every month will give me just enough of a boost of different that I think I might just be able to do it.  New Year= New Me.

Currently Celebrating: Day 1 back on the Workout wagon.