Going Resolution-Free in 2019

I want to hear from my fellow moms: Who made a resolution or resolutions for 2019? Now that we’re a couple of weeks in, how is it going for you?

No Resolutions for 2019

I have to admit—part of my reasoning in not coming up with a resolution for 2019 had to do with the fact that I don’t remember EVER carrying out a resolution and sticking to it for an entire year. Have you? I’m honestly curious as to what it was and how you did it. 

Below, I came up with some alternatives to resolutions that might still serve us well in 2019 (perhaps with a little less pressure to succeed.)

Hean Prinsloo

Create a Word of Intention

This one is pretty straightforward. Rather than coming up with a goal, i.e., “I will make $350k in sales,” you decide on a word or series of words that embodies those goals for the year. Perhaps if business success is a major key to killing it this year for you, your word of intention can be “Success” or “Entrepreneurship.” Is love something that is important to you in 2019? “Embrace,” is a good word. Embrace relationships. Embrace risk. 

These words are not promises, and they do not come with expiration dates. Instead, they work to focus your mind on the task at hand and keep you moving toward doing things the RIGHT way. This is powerful juju! Trust me.

Resolve to Do Good

Instead of a resolution that looks inward, how about a pledge to do something for the community? I highly recommend following SDMB Cares. Every month, we host an event that gives back and is appropriate for both parents and children. We’ve sold cookies to fight pediatric cancer, visited folks in a senior home, and done arts and crafts and packed backpacks for kids returning to school. We have much more planned in 2019!

If that sort of thing doesn’t float your boat, volunteer for a cause that carries meaning for you. Pet shelters, NICUs, the homeless . . . there is no shortage of causes in need of a helping hand. 

Invest in Financial Wellness

Are you financially savvy? Are you prepared for retirement? Do you have months of savings in the bank? How is your kiddo’s college fund looking? Yea, that’s what I thought. Beyond basic economics, we are generally ill equipped to understand our financial outlook or how to change it for the better.

This is a big one for myself and my family in 2019. We are seeking help and teaming up with a financial advisor to say goodbye to needless accumulated debt once and for all. We will also consolidate our 401Ks and put plans into the works to save for a rainy day. Look at us, we’re adulting!

This is all to say that if you need to get moving on your money this year, stop putting it off. Now is the time.

Focus on Mental Health

You know how every gym, personal trainer, and diet clinic puts out an advertising campaign in January? There’s an obvious reason, of course: the New Year gives us all starting-over vibes. Suddenly we get a new burst of energy and resolve to learn tae kwon do or jujitsu or Pilates or whatever else . . . look, if that’s your thing, that’s great. I just think we pay a lot of attention to the physical and not enough to the mental side of things.

I believe in the transformative power of therapy. I believe in meditation, stretching, sleeping in and reaching out when we need help. I hope that in the new year, you check on your friends and encourage them to seek assistance when it’s needed. If we offered as many resources for mental wellness as we did for a good workout, the world would be a much more productive and healthy place.

If you did make a resolution and you’re sticking to it, I commend you! Share with us in the comments below about how you’re approaching 2019. We want to know!

DESIGNECOLOGIST