New Year’s Resolutions? How about a 2016 Bucket List instead

It’s New Year’s. And this is the time of year people make resolutions – to eat healthier, to exercise more, to lose weight, to travel, to start a hobby, to save money… and the list goes on. Some of the time our goals are so lofty and unrealistic that resolutions are eventually broken by January 31st and are sadly left behind until the following year when they are resurrected and end up in a whirlwind of resolve once again. I know… sounds negative. But I think it’s the reality. It’s like Lent… when I give up chocolate. Or wine. <Gasp>

What makes January 1st so special? Why wait until the first of the year to make a resolution? I guess it’s that turning of the page I spoke of in my New Year’s post. It’s a chance for a clean slate and a start for something new. So, what determines a good resolution? It must be realistic, attainable, and well-defined, not vague. And you must have a plan. Going in without a plan is like taking a road trip without a map! You need to know where you are going and how you are going to get there.

I’ll concede. I don’t always make resolutions and when I do, I don’t always stick to them. Let’s face it. I have goals all year long. I have a laundry list of goals. And, it’s not that individually they aren’t attainable, it’s that collectively sometimes they seem impossible. So this year, I will try to achieve just a few things – a bucket list of things I would like to do in 2016. Here they are (Another characteristic of a good resolution – you have to write them down). Okay, I resolve to:

Travel to two new places
Refresh my foreign language skills
Visit a local museum
Try a new local restaurant
Hike a new trail
Beef up my savings
Learn one new piano piece
Work on my photography skills (you’ll be able to see my progress on this one in my “Galleries” page)
Volunteer with a new organization
Spend more time with family and friends
And of course, continue the good habits already a part of my life