S's 2012 Refocus

Happy New Year to you lovely readers! The SLR girls hope you had the merriest of holidays, full of laughter, love, joy, and maybe even some calm.  We spent our New Year's Eve with our typical tradition: family and friends in a cramped space in Colorado, making appetizers and pizza, drinking plenty of wine, watching a girly movie, and cheering as we counted down with the NYC ball drop (yes, even though it was only 10 pm in Colorado).  It was lovely and casual.

To start off this new year with SLR, I'd like to share my plans for refocus and improvement.  In thinking about how to make 2012 great,  I have focused on what I can actually change and impact in my life.  There is so much that we can't control that can easily wreck the day or throw us into a funk.  My 2012 focus is to work on what I can change to lead the life I desire.

My first and primary resolution is to make decisions that contribute to my happiness.  I often focus on the happiness of others, which I love.  It is a great pleasure of mine to do what I can to bring joy to others.  This resolution is not to change or inhibit this nature, but to be more concerned with my own happiness as I progress into my mid-twenties.  This is the time to fine tune my values and priorities, to be a bit selfish as I create lasting habits, memories, and relationships.  In order to do my best at all of these, I need to put myself first in my decisions.  I hope that by focusing more on myself as I make plans and decisions, I can lead my ideal life and bring even more joy to those I love.

Less serious but equally challenging, I resolve to improve my posture! The endless days sitting at my grad student office desk or in class has left me with a rather sad student slump.  Time to revisit my regular yoga practice, walk around the apartment with books on my head, and act like I am 3 inches taller.  You know, having better posture makes you look more confident, taller, slimmer, and more radiant.  What's not to love about that?

Thirdly, I have two resolutions that I tend to clump together as "recurring reminders" that I revisit each January.  I use the new year as a reminder to 1. have adventures, and 2. write more letters.  Life is full of adventures- all you have to do is jump on board! It is good to remember to say yes to them more often.  Letter writing is something I have always loved and desired to do more often.  I was told a story at college orientation about a girl who began to write letters to her grandmother each week during college.  When the girl visited her grandmother years later, she discovered a box containing every single letter she had written.  There are no words that can express how meaningful a handwritten note sent by snail mail can be!

So there they are.  My new year refocusing plans.  I have a feeling that 2012 will be a year full of positivity, happiness, and change for the better.  Bring it on!




Do you have any new year resolutions? How do you plan to take charge of 2012 to make it the best yet?