What are yours?
Do you make them?
Please share your thoughts.
I don't.
I have an on going list of things, and I do them, usually when i can, or when the motivation is right. The list gets revised as-needed, which is reasonably often. There are shortterm and medium term and long term things on that list.
The thing with resolutions is... if I didn't have the motivation to do something on Dec 15th, I'm not likely to have it on Jan 1st. And there's no Big Bang when you turn the calendar page to Jan. 1st.
For me, I tend to think about things for a while, and one day I get a moment of clarity of sorts, and jump in both feet.
Starting things when I'm half hearted about them or feel like I should, or someone is pushing me to. I know myself well enough to know that I'm not gonna stick with them, and it's a waste of time and energy, not to mention an additional blow to self esteem that quitting can do. Have enough false starts, and one day you can find yourself believing you can't do the race.
In my case, this is true in swimming and life in general.
Former Member
My only resolution would be to keep the 35 pounds that I lost from October to May last year off. So far I have for 7 months.
My resolution for 2003 was to lose some weight - but no specific goal in mind. I did manage to lose 30 lbs. Swimming is how I did it. I was not a swimmer before that for about 6 years. But now I am hooked.
For 2004, I want to increase my swimming to 500,000 + SCY (I did just over 300,000 SCY in 2003 which I am proud of considering I couldn't do 150 continuous at the beginning of the year.). I also want to lose some additional weight, but figure that if I get the swimming in, the weight will take care of itself.
Oh yeah, I want to become rich too.
Like Connie, I don't really make resolutions for the New Year. Basically I make resolutions all year -- I call them goals. Like -- increase exercise amount, decrease swim or run itmes, lose some fat, be nicer, etc..
It is too defeating to make a list on one day of good things to do for the year! If I make one at a time throughout the year I am *sometimes* more successful at meeting the goal(s).
Here's to some great goals yet to come!
Nancy
First (nervous) post.........
I have adopted New Year's Resolutions for the last four years and have found that one of the keys to success is to *share* them with others. I have some sadistic friends who check in periodically to see how I'm doing.
For 2003, I resolved the following (results in parentheses):
Connect with at least five people I hadn't seen or spoken to in AT LEAST one year (accomplished (though one was only a LONG telephone conversation; the other four were for lunch)).
400 IM (It was ugly, but I did it in March (not in a meet - just during a training set). Was planning on doing it one more time, but I messed up my knee shoveling snow about 4 weeks ago, so I'm not doing breaststroke for a while.)
Swim AT LEAST 4 days/week (accomplished.)
Finish reading my "daily readings" Bible (FAILED. Got about 40% through in 2002 and only did about another 20% this year. drat.)
Make every single athletic competition of my children (or, if I can't be there, my husband would be) (YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Accomplished. Which is amazing because my son (15) and my daughter (17) each play 3 sports, plus club sports (no swimmers, but my daughter is a water polo player).)
Go out to dinner with my husband on our anniversary (accomplished. (Isn't it PATHETIC that one has to resolve to go out on a date with one's husband?))
Take a killer family vacation (accomplished. We went on a Disney cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Everyone should do it - it's NICE. No vulgar/innuendo/garbage. Just Mickey, etc.)
I've been planning 2004's - you will be the first people to know of my ideas:
Another 400 IM (in training - no competition)
Ten random acts of kindness (this one could be hard)
Two dates with my husband this year -
Travel at least two times - away/overnight - with just women. One trip with college roommates (I graduated in 1978, so we go way back) and one trip with two local moms of my daughter's best friends since all three of our girls will be going off to college in August.
I like the idea of resolutions, particularly when they are written down and shared. And, I should point out, I don't beat myself up if I don't make it - for me, as long as the sun came up this morning, the glass is half full.......
Kathy Johnston
I like Nancy's and Connie's reasoning. I make long term goals and then break them down into smaller goals that are on the way to the long term goal.
One of my long term goals: Improve my swimming technique.
One of the short term goals: Keep a swimming journal
Happy New Year Everyone
Laineybut
You said "Finish reading my "daily readings" Bible (FAILED. Got about 40% through in 2002 and only did about another 20% this year. drat.)"
Kathy, just another way to look at "failed:" Edison failed 98 times (or so) before he made a light bulb that worked. Someone asked him if that was disappointing, and he replied to effect of "No; making the light bulb just took 99 steps." Give yourself a big pat on the back for meeting so many of your goals!
Happy swimmming,
Laura
Hey, Laura - ok, you're right. You may have noticed that last year's resolutions were things I really wanted to do anyway - it was incredible reconnecting with folks (two I hadn't seen or spoken to in over 10 years!). "Resolving" to do it merely provided the impetus to go out and do it (the road to hell being paved with good intentions and all that). The reality of reading the Bible through is daunting - there are very few passages less stimulating than Leviticus..........
Moreover, if any of you had seen the last 25 fly in my 400 IM, you might have suggested that I didn't accomplish that one either ("butterstruggle" may be my new favorite word:p ).
Finishing the book will stay on my list of resolutions until I finish it ....
Kathy
p.s. I have been using Mo Chambers' workouts for about 18 months..... how does one go about thanking her for posting them all the time for self-coached swimmers like me?
Originally posted by k140j
p.s. I have been using Mo Chambers' workouts for about 18 months..... how does one go about thanking her for posting them all the time for self-coached swimmers like me?
I like her workouts too.
Kathy,
Thanks for sharing your good attitude with us, and thanks for making your first post :) (no need ot be nervous, lot of very nice people in here)
Welcome aboard and Good Luck with the 400 IM ... and all the other resolutions :)
