This year.

I've never really been fond of the "New Year's Resolution" idea... but perhaps that's because I normally fail at accomplishing things. It's not that I don't strive for improvement, but it can be overwhelming to make several changes at once. A few years ago I read The Happiness Project and really enjoyed Rubin's take on the whole making-changes-in-your-life thing. What she resolved to do was to consider things in her life that need to be enhanced, and to focus on one a month. By working on one thing in January, and then introducing a new concept in February, the thought of making changes isn't so overwhelming... at least to me.

Another thing I don't care for in New Year's Resolutions is that everything changes on January 1. I have thought even back in November about things that I need to change, and tell myself "when the new year gets here, I'll do it". Why not change something about myself on November 12? What is so special and significant about January 1?

Nothing.

And my last rant about resolutions. They're usually targeted at stopping something instead of starting something... or focused on losing instead of gaining. I don't know about you, but when I hear or read or think about stopping and losing, my mind automatically goes to defeat. I think about not being able to hit my mark. I think about failing.

So.

When I saw this image above, I felt drawn to it. It doesn't list things like "Lose 50 pounds"... it says "Love what you see in the mirror". It doesn't say "Stop eating sweets"... it says "Eat more green food". It doesn't say "Increase your tithing and volunteerism"... it says "Volunteer your time and skills". It speaks more about living. It focuses on enhancing my life. It emphasizes human connection.

Whether loving what I see in the mirror translates to losing weight, or letting go of critical thinking... that's up to me. Whether eating more green food translates into being more full on those so that I'm less likely to want dessert... that's up to me. Whether volunteering my time and skills translates into giving more money or joining a civic organization... that's up to me.

I encourage you to consider ways that you can live more. Enhance your life. Improve your human connection.