Following Through Feels Pretty Good, Doesn’t It?

It’s that time of year again. Too much pie? Check. Anxiety about the gift you re-gifted? Check. Regret from saying something stupid after all that egg nog? Check. Check.

Hey, let’s add some guilt into the mix! How about them New Year’s resolutions you made last year? You know, the one about losing twenty pounds and not letting a single grain of refined sugar touch your born-again virginal lips? Going to Soulcycle fifteen times a week and writing for five hours every day whether or not there’s a Honey Boo Boo marathon on? Remember? What happened to those?

This is what I do to myself every year around this time, or at least I did until this fine year of 2012 when I threw all that unachieveable crap out the window. NEW RULE: don’t make any resolutions you’ve made and not kept in the past. They are just like the multiple fanmail letters you sent to Justin Bieber and never heard back from – not that you’re a stalker or anything, I mean you are just a married woman who is an inspired fan of true talent, but at least you expected to get one little reply! Er… point being, making those same resolutions will just make you feel bad again and again.

This time last year, I did something totally different. I resolved to do something I could hold myself accountable to. Publicly. Something that felt fun and light and that included the title “daily” in it so I had to do it. Every. Day. This year my resolution was to write a poem every day. And… (drumroll) I did it! Gotta say, keeping my first resolution feels… WooHOOOO!

It hasn’t always been easy. Sure, there have been days when I’ve had to schlep home from what I was doing and squeeze it in. Some days I’ve not been inspired to write anything at all… but I somehow white knuckled my way through it and came out the other side unscathed. I know what people are thinking: “Big whoop! She wrote a measly little poem every day? What’s the big deal?”

My response is: Firstly, I commend you for keeping “big whoop” in rotation. Secondly, maybe it’s not that big of a deal to some people, but to me, it’s a major accomplishment because I set a goal and I actually achieved it. So, big whoop indeed.

The bonus is that the practice of writing a poem every day has become second nature to me. I liken it to the feeling people speak of whom have had success in diets. They always say “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle”. I wouldn’t know that specific feeling but I imagine it’s similar to the one I’m feeling now about my poems. Except, minus the self confidence that comes with fitting into a smaller size, and the fun it must be to go shopping, and the ability to rock a bikini on a beach with no issues whatsoev… oh wait, I’m getting off track here… My poems! Right!

I am VERY proud of myself, and while a year was my goal, I am going to continue on. I can’t imagine life now without a poem of the day in it. So thank you, me. And a tip of the hat to New Year’s resolutions! You get a bad rap, but when done the right way, you can be very rewarding.

So, here’s to 2013 resolutions! I’ll see you at Soulcycle – Mon/Tues/Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat – we’ll take Sunday off for “recovery”, right?!