By : Chrysa Smith

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Here we go again.

We are determined that this new year, we’ll get it right. We’ll eat better. Sleep better. Exercise more. Criticize less. Yada,Yada, Yada.

The cynical will say that making resolutions is a ridiculous feat. After all, most people will break these in a record—six–eight weeks?

Well I, though I can indeed be cynical about the world, say keep your resolve. Keep on believing. Keep on trying. After all, what is our alternative? To be satisfied with everything as is? There are words for people like that. But I won’t say them since I’m determined to criticize less.  But let’s just say that for most people, on most days, there are those little annoying aspects of our collective bodies, minds, and souls, that just fall a tad short.

I think goals are great. They make us better people. Give us something positive to work on, aspire to. I believe the key is in making them realistic. Instead of the all too frequently overheard ‘I need to lose 10/20 pounds’, maybe we should be hearing that ‘I’m going to eat fruit at night instead of cookies. I’m going to get to the gym for one more hour this week. I’m going to cut my wine consumption to 6 ounces instead of 8’ (OK, well maybe not that one). But you get the idea. Baby steps. Incremental goals. Reasonable goals. Attainable goals. But this is hardly new. One thing we don’t hear quite often enough is something  that should be at the top of your list. Before weight and exercise and personality ‘flaws’, a far better goal would be that we go easier on ourselves. Not expect perfection. Cut ourselves a break. Permission to begin again if we fall off the wagon on our other goals. We aspire to cut people a break. Maybe we should begin with ourselves.

Now carry on. And head into 2015 knowing and appreciating that you’re human and fragile, though you do have the power, the ability to change your own life. Happy 2015. I hope it’s a good year for you. We’ll check in –in baby steps, incrementally, and see just how life, love, home, career, heart and soul are doing. And remember everything looks a little better on the empty side of a wine glass—-just an ounce or two less than we did in 2014.