A Pox on your New Years Resolutions!

I am taking a note from Mormon Child Bride and doing a list of things I would like to stop doing, instead of "resolutions".

"Why do I not make a list of goals intended to better myself? Because I know myself. I know that if I were to sit down each January and compile a list of things I ought to improve, I would,

1. Get depressed and feel like a failure. Unnecessarily, mind you.
2. Forget about the list the next day.
3. Find the list again later, feel guilty, throw the list away.
4. Never accomplish anything."

So here is my list of "Not Do's" for 2009

1. I will not habitually put papers in a pile on the floor. (I can't say 'I will not make piles' cause I know that is just setting myself up for failure, I have to start small.)

2. I will stop making everything a competition/comparison. I don't need that kind of stress.

3. I will not wait until the dishes start to smell before I do them. This applies to making Nik do them as well.

4. I will stop resorting to cold cereal and eating out when I get home from work. I guess this one could actually say "I will start cooking more", but then it would not fit on my list.

5. I will stop letting my anxiety run my life. I will.


There. It is not a long list, but I think it is a good one. I want to make sure these are reachable goals so I will actually accomplish them. I want to feel like I have made real progress in the coming year.

What will you stop doing this year?