happy new year, 2014!

new year’s resolutions are essentially promises you make to yourself; they tend to be well-intentioned, but impossible to enforce.

but just the mere act of resolving can be beneficial. according to this article in neuro colorado, because the brain loves change and novelty, goal-setting can be rewarded with a rush of dopamine. no wonder everyone’s so eager to make out a resolution list each new year’s eve.

as i look back at my own list from last year, i nod my head and acknowledge that i did an adequate job with things like eating well and taking more pictures, but put forth a disappointingly feeble effort at brushing it off and appreciating people more. these two in particular are difficult to quantify, so it’s very possible that i’m simply holding myself to a higher than necessary standard, but upon reflection of the past year and internal predictions for 2014, i find myself more confused than ever.

the act of setting resolutions provides a great way to understand your “self” better (or at least support the illusion that you do, since no one will ever truly understand him or herself, but that’s a can of worms for another time) and to elucidate your own priorities (a task i perpetually struggle with). your willingness (or lack thereof) to write a list of resolutions, whether it’s new year’s or not, is very telling. so without knowing exactly what i’m doing or why, i’ve created a few goals in the spirit of this universally intoxicating holiday.

1. stop reacting.

those of you who know me well will roll your eyes and nod along with this one. i have a VERY bad habit of reacting hastily and severely to most things potentially distasteful. if i’m lucky, i quickly recover and realize the insignificance for my overall lifetime and am sometimes able to salvage the interaction. though i know i can’t change overnight, here’s hoping my awareness of this self-destructive habit can be reversed so that my first instinct is to consider and analyze.

2. dial back deprivation.

i learned a LOT this year about fitness, healthy eating, the benefits of not drinking. but at times, i thought … “what’s the end goal? is it really worth it?” overindulging is a mistake, but so is never indulging at all. so while i’m not starting 2014 off with this exact viewpoint (dan and i have agreed to take a break from all booze in january), my overall intention is to make sure i don’t put bizarre, non-existent priorities before the act of living life.

3. indulge my creativity.

i’ll be honest, though i started and continue to maintain this blog under the guise of creative outlet, sometimes i post perfunctorily. not only am i going to stop that, but i’m going to seek other outlets, which shouldn’t be too difficult considering my husband’s propensity for all things crafty and unique. i’ll push my photography more and spend less time in automatic mode, more time in manual mode.