Craig Dodge - Blog

A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that you make to a goal, a project or just something you want to do to improve your life. It is a tradition at New Year to say good bye to the old and bring in the new, which includes deciding to get rid of bad habits or just trying to acquire some good ones.

Some of the most common resolutions for Americans is to lose weight, exercise more or generally improve health. Gyms and fitness centers do a booming business at the beginning of the year, as people set out to achieve their New Year's goals. Other popular resolutions are to quit smoking (or quit other bad habits), spend more time with family, save money, learn something new or get organized.

Unfortunately, what is equally as common as making New Year's Resolutions, is breaking them. We start out the year with good intentions but then we usually fall back into our bad habits. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".

In general, I avoid making New Year's Resolutions. I know myself too well and I'm just not motivated enough to change my bad habits. Ok, so call me lazy. This year feels different, though, so I did actually make a couple of resolutions for myself.

First is the very common one of exercising more so I can lose some weight. I actually got started on this one in December, getting to the gym a bit more often than earlier in the year. I am committed to going to the gym 3 - 4 times a week from now on.

In 2010, I also rode my bike much less often than before. Either the weather was too bad, I had other obligations or I was just too lazy. This year, I will ride more, even if it's just to Dadaocheng and back, a 1.5 hour ride round trip.

Related to losing weight, I will also try to eat less junk food. I know I can't quit altogether because I like it too much, and when I'm hungry, I eat. But, I can reduce the amount I eat each time, which will help lose a little weight.

My last resolution is related to a project that has always been in the back of my mind but I never got started. I am going to scan as many of my old pictures as I can to get them stored on my computer for easier viewing and uploaded to my online photo gallery to share with my friends and family. I am also going to bring back my mom's photo album collection, over 20 albums, and scan those too. This will be a longer term project which I can't start until my next trip to Michigan.

I got started, though, on this project on Jan 1 (what a great day to start a New Year's Resolution). I scanned all the pictures I took when I was on the Lansing Community College Japan Adventure work-study program in 1983. This was one of the most significant events in my life and involved many special people, so it seemed like a good place to start. You can see the album here.

A resolution I've been suggesting to people studying English is to commit to at least 10-15 minutes per day for some kind of English practice, either reviewing notes from class, reading an article or listening to an MP3. Having English class only once a week is not doing to allow for much improvement, but if you can commit just 10-15 minutes per day, you will be amazed at how much progress you make.

So what are your resolutions for 2011?