New Year Resolutions – Cheers to another chance to get it right!

I hate resolutions. Want to know why? Because, right now, in this very moment, I can’t even remember what the hell I had resolved to do at the beginning of 2015. I know there were some flowery thoughts about being fit and healthy, sticking to the gym and having a great body. I vaguely remember jumping on hubby’s health crazed bandwagon flooding Instagram and Facebook with insane work outs videos and pics. Then somewhere between Domino's thin crust pizzas, KFC's Meal Deal, coffee and wine, the goal of a great body was shot straight to hell.

Actually, for a while I was doing pretty darn well. Up to about April. Then there was work and did I mention KFC and COFFEE and WINE?

I also had high hopes for this blog too. Oh yes, I resolved to publish at least two posts per week and each post would be so riveting and well written that you would be held captive, spellbound to my every word. Indeed, my plan was to make reading addicts of you all.

Alas, the year wore on and like a man in the throes of a premature ejaculation, my excitement quickly flopped. Before long, I settled back into my routine: Work. Home. Work.

Not true. I did manage to do two pretty amazing things: we enjoyed an incredible week-long vacation in Cuba (yeah, part 3 of that post is still to come), and I presented for the first time at our Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Conference in Montego Bay! But those aside, it was life as usual. Pretty meh.

So now, 12 days into the New Year, I wrestle with myself. Why? Why should I really waste my time making any grand resolution? What is it about a brand new year that makes us feel like a do-over? Like we need to grab pen and paper (or take to FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and broadcast our goals. What makes the first day of January any different from the beginning of any other day?

I tell myself, it’s all just the same. But the first of January isn’t just another day, is it? The start of a new year is a powerful reminder of the rapid passing of time. It is as if each New Year bellows, “Hey, it’s a New Year, a whole 365 days have passed and you still haven’t gotten your shit together!” And we panic.

To be honest, I panic a lot more on my birthday. Birthdays serve as a stark reminder that not only is time passing but I’m getting old and may soon die with many unfulfilled dreams. (Yep, you guessed it, I am sort of not a huge fan of birthdays). But alas, I digress.

In the midst of my panic, I thought of writing down a few resolutions, mainly because I didn’t write anything down last year and well, we see where that got me. Plus, everybody knows that writing down tangible, definite, purposeful goals helps us to work towards making them reality. And just to confirm this, I sought reassurance from Google. Because, I’m a lawyer and I need proof.

Yeah… don’t bother wasting your time. According to a University of Scranton study published in Forbes magazine, a grand total of 8% (yep 8%) of us follow through successfully on achieving our new year’s resolutions.

Hmmm… let’s reflect on my own sad reality. See, last December while I was busy stuffing my face with ham and cake, like many others, I consoled myself with the assurance that come January morning I would be front and centre in the gym. Let’s see. We’re 12 days into January and I’m yet to set foot in the gym. Don’t count me out though, I still have 19 days to go! (January has 31 days, right?)

Oh yes, and last year, I did proclaim that come 2016, I’d post at least one blog post each week. Well, it’s already week two of the New Year and this hardly qualifies as a post. More like a rant.

And how can I forget. I’d consume absolutely no soda. Only lime and water for me. Well, I’m happy to report that I help to make up the 75% of us who actually manage to keep our resolutions for… wait for it… one whole week. Actually, I did much better, I had my first Pepsi on the 12^th day, that’s almost two weeks people! Come next year, I’ll make it to three weeks for sure.

I also thought that I’d try for no coffee or wine, but even I couldn’t say that out loud with a straight face much less to write it down.

So, yeah. I’d say, 2016 is off to a pretty good start.

But be not discouraged my loves, statistics show that some of you are pretty resolute and will last for at least six months before the mighty army dwindles to around 46%. Therefore, you do have a fair chance. I mean, six months of doing anything is pretty impressive.

But if you are like me, you will not be deterred by statistics, early failures or past failures. No, you will press on. So, since my late December resolutions are shot to hell, I have gone ahead and created some new ones.

Here goes:

1.This year, I will take a trip to some place I’ve never been before. I know you are thinking somewhere grand, exotic and fabulous like South Africa or Asia. Nah. To make this goal truly attainable, I have in mind somewhere local, like I’ve never been to Bob Marley’s home in Nine Mile or to the much photographed Blue Hole both in St Ann (My home parish by the way). But if I really run into a bind and the year is coming to a close, on my list are a few places really close by like Kintyre, a hike up Blue Mountain or just about any community in Gordon Town. Nope. Never been there.

2. This year I want to be rich. I mean #realrich. Like TantoBlacks rich. OK, so that’s never going to happen in a year, but I’ve read the Richest Man in Babylon, Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad, Poor Dad for like the 100^th time, and I think this year, for sure, they have fully began to sink in. So, I will discontinue my sporadic saving habits and commit myself to a monthly saving of at least 10% of my salary. (That’s what the books say). Who am I kidding?! In this economy, even saving 50% of my salary isn’t going to make me rich, much less #realrich. Yeah, I think I’m going to seek riches in a place where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal (Wait, that was treasures. I should be seeking treasures. Close enough!)

3. I’m going to take this blog to whole new heights! Aside from my usual rantings, I’ll deliver more content that’s relevant to you my readers, like fashion (that really means what I’m wearing on a really fabulous day to work), travel (even if it is Kintyre or Gordon Town), beauty tips (that’s pretty much me inundating your timeline with pics and selfies of my makeup. Oh wait. I already do that) and food (did I mention KFC?). Seriously though, I am working on a relaunching my blog with a new template and lots more material which I hope you’ll love.

4. Oh and last but not least, since my dear husband has unreservedly stated that work is my obvious and number one priority in life, it is my mission to smother him with so much attention this year that he will actually wish he had never made such an utterance in all his life. And by smothering him with attention, I really just mean, I’ll post a pic of him as my #MaleCrushMonday every week. That counts, right? The nerve!

So, there you have it, four fairly attainable 2016 resolutions. Who knows if I’ll make it to the six-month mark like 46% percent of us do, or better yet, be counted among the chosen few or 8% who actually achieve their resolutions? But you know what, that’s part of what’s so cool about a New Year or even setting goals. The beauty of the future is all wrapped up in the suspense and mystery of not knowing! And really, who cares if we don’t achieve those resolutions, right around the corner is another 365 days waiting for us to start afresh!

Resolve on my loves! Resolve on!

Have you made 2016 resolutions? Let’s talk!