2018 New Year Resolutions – Look At The Stars

The famous statue of Oscar Wilde in Marian Square, Dublin, Ireland – plus some photobomber

“It takes great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.” – Oscar Wilde

As I turn the pages of my new 2018 planner, writing notes to my future self in glitter gel pens, I can’t help but get excited about what the year might bring. On these last dark and gloomy days of December, January is as intoxicating as a new lover.

And that’s what the New Year is, isn’t it? A new romance. Maybe THIS year will be the one. You know, the year when you finally get your sh*t together. And maybe it’s wonderful and perfect at first, but disillusionment sets in after a few months, and by Autumn everything’s falling apart, and by December the whole thing has gone completely to hell and you can’t wait to show the year the door. And then you become infatuated with the next year that’s flirting with you and blowing kisses from around the corner.

Let’s change that this year, shall we???

We’ll start by doing away with New Year Resolutions. Resolutions are usually something we think we SHOULD be doing, but don’t really want to do. Lose weight? Be less bitchy? Save money? Get promoted? Most people enjoy eating and being snarky more than they enjoy being slender and sweet. It’s more fun to buy things than stick to a budget. And getting promoted? Ever stop to think that maybe the reason you don’t get promoted is because you effing hate your job and it’s all you can do to drag yourself in every day and not slap all the stupid people? Let’s face it, most of us get caught in a trap of just existing.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

So, don’t do resolutions. Do goals! Bucket list goals or at least fun goals. Something to get excited about, something to look forward to. I polled my friends about their 2018 goals and answers included:

“Passing my RD Exam!”

“Adopting another cat!”

“Getting my Reiki Master certification!”

“Seeing the Grand Canyon!” “Going to South America!”

“Getting my thinning eyebrows tattooed!”

“Running my first marathon!”

And I have no doubt my friends will actually DO these things … because they WANT to do them! Their eyes sparkle. Their faces light up. If communicating by text, there’s multiple exclamation points and smiley faces.

I challenge you to come up with a list of things you WANT to do in 2018. Even if it’s just a book you want to read or a series you want to binge-watch on Netflix. Maybe you’ve never had a massage or it’s been five years since you had a professional pedicure. Is there a restaurant you want to try or a cuisine you’ve never tasted? Perhaps you’d like to ride a roller coaster again (or for the first time!) or go to a live sporting event. Even if it seems small or unimportant to you, make that a goal and write it down. You will think of other, bigger goals later. For now it will give you something to look forward to and give you energy, as you figure out what you really want to do with your time here on this earth.

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” – Oscar Wilde

And energy’s a funny thing – once you have it, it grows and starts building momentum and then it becomes easier to do all the other, less enjoyable things. The boring, tedious stuff. You may even start looking at the boring, tedious stuff differently. For example, if your goal is to go to Paris, you may start paying off your debt to afford the trip. If you decide you’ve always wanted to learn ballroom dance, or remember you loved to swim as a child, or fall in love with yoga – you’ll have a better chance at losing that weight than dragging yourself up out of bed at 5:00 AM to do an exercise video or go to the gym. Get a job you truly like, and your passion may naturally get you promoted.

One of my goals is a regular return to blogging. (I love writing + photography + cooking, so – yes, a good goal for me!)

2017 was a difficult year for me, with my father’s passing and a few other hardships. I didn’t have much time or energy to cook or write and mistakenly believed I had nothing worth saying. (It’s much easier to come up with blog posts when I am constantly experimenting with new recipes, versus eating PB&Js or batch cooking sweet potatoes and greens to eat all week!)

Bless my readers who reached out to me to tell me they enjoyed my writing, loved my recipes, and missed my blog!

And, maybe some of you are also struggling with meal planning/batch cooking, or would be interested in some super simple recipe ideas or all the things you can do in 10 minutes with a can of beans. Maybe some of you would also be interested in tricks I’ve learned to save a little money. Or some of the gadgets I can’t live without. Or some of the books I’ve read. (I admit it, I’m a nerd, I read constantly – everything from animal theology to vegan nutrition textbooks to “The Vegetable Diet” by William Alcott, Louisa May Alcott’s father. Yeah, you can’t get nerdier that that.) So, expect to see some new topics and variety in 2018.

Finally, four resolutions you SHOULD make, from my hometown boy Oscar:

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” Resolve to be the former, not the latter!

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

“Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”

“Be yourself – everyone else is already taken.”

Constance Wilde Statue at Marian Park

Tagged as: 2018 Resolutions, New Years Resolutions, oscar wilde, vegan