New Year’s Resolutions for 2010

Well, times change and so do I. Maybe getting divorced does that to people. Maybe I’ve been changing all along and that’s why I find myself at this life-changing juncture. Maybe this is the way I’ve always felt I should be, and now seems like the best opportunity to express that desire. The reasons at this point are immaterial, but one thing is for sure: 2010 promises to be an interesting year for me.

Strangely, having reached the age of 41 I’ve never actually committed to any New Year’s resolutions. Until this point I have never felt the need or the desire in a serious way. This year is clearly different and I feel strongly enough about certain things in my life that I’m going to write my resolutions down and put them somewhere that I won’t lose them — right here on my blog. I’ll check back on it next year and see how I did.

The year of living mindfully: Resolutions for 2010

In no particular order, my resolutions for 2010 are:

#1  Cultivate my circle of friends and family.

I am often guilty of hermit-like or anti-social behaviour.  There are several reasons for this that I see, but this year I will endeavour to rejuvenate neglected friendships and maintain better contact with those I know and care about.  There are no justifiable reasons not to.

#2  Eliminate television.

I have already done this, but intend to continue the tradition even in my new lair.  While I don’t see television as “bad” per se, it tends to suck away vast amounts of my time for little in return.  There are too many other more productive uses of my time — including daydreaming.

#3  Eliminate my use of foul language.

My children have picked up on some of my bad words and I can’t justify their continued use.  Plus it’s not real attractive.

#4  Spend on activities, not stuff.

I have too much stuff already.  I don’t need more things sitting in storage boxes and taking up space.  I also don’t need to cue the marketplace to create more stuff to replace the stuff that I buy.  This ties in with #5, below.  Spending on activities instead will get me out of my house more often and doing more socializing — both very important for a newly single guy with a tendency toward hermit-ism.

#5  Buy used wherever possible.

Contrary to what many may think, this is not actually to do with saving money or being cheap.  This is about conservation.  This is about reducing my consumerist footprint.  By not buying new, that’s one little bit less demand the marketplace sees and one little bit less of pillaging of natural resources that occurs as a result.  Plus, it’s one less thing that goes to the dump.  As an additional bonus, because used items do cost less money, that leaves more money available for things like activities (#4).

#6  Stop throwing used batteries in the garbage.

This is just lazy and bad behaviour.  I’ll store them up and bring them to the fire hall occasionally for proper disposal.

#7  Don’t work November 11th and attend a Remembrance Day ceremony.

While I have always held a place of honour in my heart for those who have fought and died, this year is the first and only year I have ever taken Remembrance Day as a holiday and attended a ceremony.  It was the right thing to do and I will do it again in 2010.

# 8  Go somewhere with the kids each week.

Plan something — some kind of activity outside of the house, even if it’s just to go swimming — every week.  Family togetherness is a critical part of happiness.

#9  Gift only perishables, downloadables, donations, and used items where possible.

Again this goes back to reducing my consumer footprint.  I recognized that kids aren’t going to appreciate this sentiment, so the rule will be broken for them.

#10  Prepare for special occasions with the same effort that I put into work.

I tend to pour the bulk of my energy and time into work with the intention of preparing and planning for special occasions during my “off” hours.  The trouble is, those “off” hours typically get used up doing other things before I get to the special occasion stuff, with the predictable result that I end up in a scramble to get it together before the deadline — and it shows.  The goal with this resolution is to recognize that special occasions and events with family and friends are more important than work and in order to make them a success they demand at least as much energy and attention as work.