I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve, and you know what that means — time to think about goals for the new year. While I have many things I’d like to accomplish, as for my official resolutions, well, this time I’m keeping it simple and specific. Right now I have two things weighing on my mind.
1. Cutting back on the junk
No, not junk food this time. I mean the junk coming into my head — in particular, from TV and Facebook.
I’m generally pretty busy and don’t watch a lot of TV, but I’ve always considered myself a “news junkie.” Being in the communications profession, this kind of comes with the territory.
First thing I do in the morning after I get up is turn on the local TV news, and then one of the 7 a.m. network morning news programs while I’m getting ready for work. Maybe the past year was an especially gruesome one in the news, but during this time I’ve come to realize that starting the day with a seemingly nonstop rundown of murder, crime, tragedies and horrible behavior makes me feel bad. Worse than bad. Practically sick to my stomach. And you know what? I don’t want it anymore.
I’m not suggesting we hide our head in the sand when it comes to current events, and I have no intention of doing that. But I can get my news from sources other than early morning TV.
Secondly, I’m cutting back on my personal use of Facebook. Although there are many great things about it, being on there also more often than not brings me plenty of bad feelings, for a variety of reasons. It’s also a huge time suck. I recently read an article on Health on this subject that resonated with me. But the bottom line is, like TV news, if it makes me feel bad then I should reconsider my consumption.
I still need to use Facebook professionally and will continue to do so for work and my blog, but I’ve cut back on my personal use of it and will be reducing this even more in the coming year.
Just like with junk food, both of these things are a matter of changing habits and that’s not easy. But I now realize it’s important to my emotional health. I need to look up — from my phone, literally; and in my outlook, figuratively — and focus on what’s right about the world instead of all the wrong.
2. Becoming a certified fitness professional
I’m currently enrolled in a course to earn the Certified Personal Trainer credential (CPT).
I actually started this a while ago, but have been struggling because I’m overwhelmed by all of the material and the memorization necessary to pass. And of course, finding the time to properly study is a challenge when you’re working full-time, running a business and taking care of a family.
But I’m determined to learn this material and pass the test. So my resolution is to do just that, and to accomplish it I’m going to need to come up with a system that works for me. I’m thinking I need to create a study schedule and a defined timeline to get it done. And because finding time is an issue, I may need to cut back temporarily on some things, even working on this blog.
©Michelle Rogers, Inc.
What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Please share in the comments!
