If you think about it, New Year is an arbitrary day which we all celebrate as something remarkable. And many people use this arbitrary day as the point to change things about themselves. Of course here I am talking about new years resolutions.
I once saw an online video where someone said that they didn’t like new years resolutions. That they didn’t see the point of them. That if people really wanted to change then they didn’t need to make new years resolutions, that they would just do it. I think that they were missing something a key concept to why many New Years Resolutions actually work. Yes it is just an arbitrary day, yes they could change anytime, and yes they are often reactionary to the indulgence of Christmas. But change is a mental thing more than anything else, and the start of a new year gives that mental catalyst which actually allows the change to start.
Last year I had a resolution and I have succeeded. It wasn’t anything special but the sense of fulfillment I feel now encourages me no do bigger better ones. So last year, I gave up milkshakes. In the same vein as the give up cigarettes/chocolate/alcohol ones that are probably the most common (absolutely no research has gone into that statement mind) I probably wouldn’t have gone a year without them if it wasn’t a new years resolution.
The timeframe works nicely, the motivation is sufficient (particularly have just successfully completed one) and you don’t have time to slack off before the next one starts.
Talking about next ones, it is time for my big announcement. My 2014 New Years Resolutions, yes this year I am going for multiple
- Take 25 photos every day.
- To publish a blog post every week.
Ok so still only two. But there is a reason it is only two. I don’t want to get bogged down by having to many to do. I feel that two will be achievable, but if I have more that I just wont be able to keep up with them.
A quick thought on these in comparison to my one last year makes me realize that there are 2 types of resolution. The Dos and the Don’ts.
Last year I decided to give up milkshake. Don’t drink milkshake. In reality you can do as many of these as I like but it may be miserable if you have too many giving up things that you like.
This year I have decided to blog and take photos. Do blog. Do take photos. These are much more limiting than the Don’ts. You can only do a few Dos, you only have time for a few Dos.
There are other things that I wish to achieve this year
- To improve my fitness
- To lose weight
- To walk more
- To climb more
- To start making videos
- Improve my guitar playing
As much as I want to do these I feel that it would be to time committing or they are too broad to make into resolutions. That’s not to say that I won’t do any of them, I will try to do them all. I just haven’t commitment to do them.
Now, I have managed to babble on this far about New Years Resolutions, but I haven’t really told you anything about me. And now normally that would be fine, but you see this is my first blog post and I think that I should probably tell you something. Just a little snippet to keep you waiting until next week.
Now of course I have told you something, I have told you my opinion on new years resolutions. And after all we are, particularly on the internet, just a collection of opinions and ideas. But rather than starting with just a relatively obscure and largely unimportant idea I will finish this post with a few more opinions for those who are interested (and you must somewhat be having read this far through).
- I would rather live in the countryside than cities.
- My favorite landscape is mountains, although I am rather partial to forests.
- The most remote place I have been was on my Duke of Edinburgh expedition, where at one point we were a 2.5 day walk from the nearest road. And that is an experience that I would like to recreate.
- I like every genre of music, but differentiate this from liking all music.
- I have been to more gigs to see unsigned acts than signed acts.
- I have a fixation with crime and crime drama’s, but am proud to say that I don’t actually commit any myself.
- My favorite TV program is Spooks (MI5 if any American people are reading this)
The last important question is what am I going to be writing here? I am hoping to write about the outside. Walking. Nature. But not just in an informative way. Yes, the information and facts will be important. But this will be using them as a backing for more philosophical thoughts and ideas.
The Outdoor Philosophy 