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Why Should Resolutions Come Only Once a Year?

posted 1st January 2011    Written by: Renee    CATEGORY: Inspiration, Renee, Season 3

You heard it here first: I’m going to start running this spring. I say “this spring” because I know myself and I know there’s no way in hell I’ll start running in the dead of Chicago winter. But this spring, when the ground starts the thaw, I’ll strap on some new shoes, I’ll brace my knee if I have to, I’ll flip on some offensive rap music, and I’ll hit the pavement.  I know it’s not going to be easy at first. I know I won’t be able to actually run far. But I can already tell this is going to be the best way to release energy and stress. After a semester of grad school, my body is craving some kind of outlet… so far it’s been wine, but that doesn’t get rid of the ache in my shoulders from sitting at my desk for 14 hours.

Truly, this is my one goal for 2011. I’m not the type to set New Year’s Resolutions; I set resolutions throughout the year. If I want something, I go for it. I don’t wait until January 1 rolls around.  I think that’s kind of silly.  But this year, the running bug hit me as the temperature started to drop. So I said to myself, “Self, next spring, you’re putting one of those paychecks to good use. Self, you’re gonna invest in a pair of shoes and some UnderArmor and you’re going to start to run. You hear me, Self?”

I talk to myself like that, for realsies.

The long days, the sugary coffee drinks, the “treating myself with nachos” is starting to catch up with me. It’s not that I feel fat; I have my days but 85% of the time I’m pretty happy with how my body looks. I just feel blah. I feel frumpy and lazy and globby… I feel like I need to get out of my desk chair and blow off some steam.

This probably comes as a surprise to anyone who knows me and anyone who has ever heard me say, “Oh, I don’t exercise. I hate it.” Or “I only run if I’m being chased.” But there was a time in my life when I could run a mile in under 6:30. Okay, I was 14 years old, BUT STILL. If I could do it then, I can do it now.

I don’t have bright-eyed plans to be in a marathon. That’s not realistic yet. Maybe I’ll try that Couch to 5k program everyone raves about. But this plan has nothing to do with competing with anyone else in any kind of race. It’s about me and how I feel.

So, if I were the type to make New Year’s Resolutions, this would be it. But I’m not that kinda girl, so instead I’m telling myself simply that next spring, I’m going to be a runner.

{photo credit: joshjanssen}

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Getting an Early Start on my Resolutions

posted 4th January 2010    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Quarterlife Crisis, Robyn, Season 1, Travel, Travel/Adventure

Right now I am typing this blog on my iPhone as I wait at the airport in Terminal E10 to board my flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. This is the vacation, the freedom, I’ve been looking forward to since I quit my job 3 months ago.

I am beyond excited to escape the single digit weather here in Chicago, and I am thrilled to start exploring some place new.

With this trip, I am already getting an early start on some of my New Year’s resolutions for 2010.

Robyn’s 2010 Resolutions

1. Always have something to look forward to… a new trip, a new project, etc.
2. Eat more fruits and veggies.
3. Deal with stress better. Start taking yoga classes and meditating.
4. Finish what I start, whether it be an organizing project or something I write… especially when it comes to something I write!
5. Have more “loner” time. Enjoy being by myself more.
6. Learn how to  really use my snazzy new Nikon SLR D40 camera!
7. Worry less.
8. Embrace change and growth.
9. Make more of an effort to keep in touch with old friends and distant family members.
10. Complete a triathlon.

Nothing too outrageous. I’m looking forward to 2010 and everything it may bring.

It’s hard to believe my life changed so much in just the past three months–mostly due to leaving my “9 to 5″ to do my own thing. More change is inevitible as I figure out how I want to spend my time and where I want my career to take me.

Hopefully I will gain more insight as I am hiking through the jungle, jumping off waterfalls, and laying on the beach soaking up the sun!

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Live Deliberately

posted 6th January 2009    Written by: Molly Mahar    CATEGORY: All Posts, Inspiration, Molly

I admit it: I love the New Year, just as much as I love peanut butter, little kids in snowsuits & new magazines delivered to my mailbox. Hear me? I love the New Year a whole big bunch.

It’s the thrill of a clean slate, a brand new journal & of course, a handful of resolutions. I’ve spent several snow days hemming and hawing over just what I’d like to accomplish in 2009. One of my favorite things to do is come up with a theme for the year: 2007 was “Life’s an Adventure” & 2008 was “Big Dreams, Bright Eyes”. Cliche? Perhaps. But they hold hard fought meaning for me and for the year ahead.

So what does the future hold?

My theme for this year is “Live Deliberately”. It’s an anthem for conscious choice about the life I live each day and the ideals that are expressed. What do I want to express, you ask? Courage, Creativity, Authenticity, Vitality, Connection, and of course, Joy. I want my values to be reflected in the way I spend my time, the interactions I have with others & the message I share with the world.

Read more…

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