Adjusting My Resolution

Happy 2019! A new year is upon us. I’m sure your social media feeds have been filled with posts about New Year’s resolutions. New year, new me. Leaving (insert negative items) in 2018. No longer dealing with (insert harmful elements). (insert name of person, type of people, or specific group of people) will be cut off in 2019. 2019 is going to be my year. Etcetera, etcetera. Does that sound about right? Were you the culprit in any of these cases? It’s okay. You can admit it.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making resolutions for the new year. Or is there? Whether it’s eating healthier, exercising more, or picking up a new hobby, we have all made New Year’s resolutions and ultimately failed. What contributed to the failure? My past resolutions were mostly goals to form new habits, which has always been a struggle for me. I've never really set myself up for success in that regard.

My approach for this year is to improve upon things that I am already doing. This gives me a leg up in the game. I’m already doing something. I just need to do more of it. In 2019, I plan to do the following:

Write more.

There is no shortage of thoughts and emotions that come to me on a daily basis. No lack of things that I would love to share with the world. Unfortunately, you can’t read my mind so everything must be transferred from my brain to a media suitable for consumption. The written form is currently the best option. So...I need to write. I need to write far more than I’ve been writing. My goal isn’t to spend a certain amount of time writing each week. I’ll aim to write whenever something hits me. If I can pull out my phone to text my friends, I can open the Notes app and jot down a few things. If I can sit at my desk and watch YouTube, I can open the Notes app and type something out. Simple.

Reach out.

I have been blessed with an extraordinary village. There are a few people that I speak to on a daily basis. Others on a weekly basis. Some I only talk to a few times a year. Then there are people that I haven't spoken to in years, but they still hold a special place in my life. This year I plan to allocate more time in energy into reaching out to those that have been there for me at different periods in my life. A quick text or phone call can have a significant impact. Never underestimate the power of simply checking in on your people.

Get more sleep.

This goal will probably be most natural to accomplish since my body usually leaves me with no other option. I’ve found myself taking more naps and heading to bed earlier than ever. Gone are the days of working off three hours of sleep. If I try that now, I feel absolutely miserable, and I’m barely able to function. I don’t think I’ll make a plan to get to bed at a particular time or anything like that. I’ll just listen to my body. After all, the biological clock is right at least two times per day. rimshot

Take more photos.

The camera on my phone is comparable to most digital cameras. I will be taking more photos with my phone to document my life. I always have my phone with me, so there’s no excuse for failing to snap a few pictures here and there. My DSLR has been stored away since I traveled abroad a few years ago. I will be teaming up with friends for photo walks around town to take in the beauty and character that the Magic City has to offer. I’ll admit that I am a bit out of practice when it comes to using my DSLR, but I’m hoping that everything will come back to me.

One thing that I want to communicate before I go is that these aren’t resolutions. I repeat. These aren’t resolutions. I’m not making resolutions this year. I’m adjusting my resolution; changing the way I see things. In turn, I'll change the amount of attention I give these things. Give this approach a shot and let me know if you have better results than you did with your 2018 resolutions. Okay. That’s all for now. Have a great year, everyone!

Originally published on Lost in Birmingham, January 4, 2019