New year, new resolutions: Often the same old goals in life

I can’t remember the last time I made a meaningful New Year’s resolution.

I’ll be honest. I stopped making them because I kept failing. It’s discouraging to plan one day to do great things and wake up the next—or a few days later—and realize I hadn’t done them at all.

I’m not quite sure why resolutions are difficult to keep. I’m motivated, driven deeply by my passion for writing and all things newspaper-related.

But when it comes to doing things I know I need to do for myself, I fall flat.

For a couple of years I resolved not to resolve, which I guess I did successfully, except I felt like I didn’t really accomplish anything at all.

What’s great in keeping a resolution you didn’t resolve to do in the first place?

In 2010, instead of a resolution I made a to-do bucket list for that year.

It’s 2013 and I still haven’t teetered above Myrtle Beach, S.C., on the Sky Wheel. I still haven’t learned to play the guitar. I still haven’t sung a solo karaoke song. I still haven’t done most of the things on 2010’s list.

In 2011, I planned to read 25 books on my to-read list. I read a lot of books that year, but not 25, and I found myself reading more off my list than on.

And now here we are at the beginning of a new year and everyone is talking about changes for 2013.

Of course I’d like to get healthier and lose weight. I did the opposite of that in 2012, and squeezing into my clothes isn’t the way I’d like to spend the rest of the year.

But I still can’t bring myself to make a hard-and-fast resolution. Well, OK, save this one: I resolve to get up earlier.

Seriously, if you know me, this is a doozie. I shower at night before bed just so I can save time getting ready in the morning. I’ll get up and then go right back to bed, even though I know I need to keep moving the first time my feet hit the floor.

I don’t do mornings.

I don’t usually do conversations in the mornings, either, and thankfully my coworkers—except the few who like to pick at me—have learned I’m not being a grump when I walk in. I just need time and copious amounts of coffee before I warm up.

I know, resolving to get up earlier seems almost too wishy-washy to resolve at all. It’s tangible without being too goal-oriented.

Basically it means I’m giving myself a self-esteem booster. I can get up five minutes earlier in 2013 than I did in 2012. It’s not life-changing, but it starts each morning (hopefully) in the right direction.

That’s an inspirational daily resolution right there.

 Who knows? Maybe I will earn more morning minutes as the year ticks on. I just know, thankfully, I can’t really lose at this one—maybe just break even—since I’m already pushing the clock everywhere I go.