The Challenge
A New Year's Resolution has become such a part of our celebration, it's tough to use the word "resolution" without putting "New Year's" in front of it. We've all made a resolution or two. Once again, many of us will make a resolution to lose a bad habit or start a good one. According to the Web site usa.gov, some of the more popular resolutions include losing weight, saving money, quitting smoking, getting fit and taking a trip. All are admirable goals, but why now? Why do we tend to make life-altering promises at the dawn of a new year? Why not do these things throughout the year, making choices each day to live life just a little fuller?
About ten years ago I changed my approach to resolutions. I don't like to fail. Hate it. So why do that to myself? Set an impossible goal that I know will be hard to reach, because if it wasn't, why wasn't I already doing it? Some friends and I decided to take a different road... to create a focus for the year. Identify a word that would be the "theme song" for the new year. A decade later and I'm thrilled to remember almost all of the words I've chosen along with great tales of success and life changes that accompanied them. 2010 is no different. But this year I've decided to up teh ante a tad... instead of a word, I've chosen a mantra that has its own challenge to go along with it.
"Live Big. Live Full. Live True."
If you know me, I very much live in the moment, coloring outside of the lines as often as possible making huge brightly colored masterpieces of each day. But like most of us, its easy to stay comfortable. To live a manner in which we know... we understand...such as ordering the same thing each time I go to PF Chang's, or grabbing the same sexy 5 inch black stilletos. Life can become predictable very easily... but what fun is that? Where is the adventure in that!?
So I've set the challenge of 365 new experiences within the 365 days of 2010. They can be anything at all. A choice of doing something I've never done before. Though not much of a journaller, I've decided to keep this blog for two reasons. 1.) To help me remain accountable for meeting this challenge within the 12 months of the year and 2.) To record the adventure along the way. If you are reading this and interested in following along this journey, I hope you you aren't disappointed. Some days won't be as exciting as others, but I'm looking forward to this year.
To get things started, I opted to try a new restaurant today. With my dairy allergy I tend to stick with the same places and types of food (sushi anyone?!).. but today I tried something new. I tried a Thai restaurant called SEA Thai Restaurant (South East Asia = SEA) located off Colonial near the Fashion Square Mall. I also ordered based off someone else's recommendation not asking a million questions (like I always do) and instead just leaving it at trust. I'm glad I did... it was fantastic. If interested here is their website: www.seaorlando.com
So there you have it... the history of the "word of the year", the 2010 challenge and my "new" experience from today. Until tomorrow I leave you with this:
"We spend January first walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives. . . not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman
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