I'm not quite sure how I feel about resolutions. I know we're supposed to assess our lives and decide what to take action on in the coming New Year, and I love the idea of visioning what we want to occur. But as one Wise Woman shared when I asked about the practice on Facebook, "resolutions born of realization and desire can work if you don't use them as a way to beat yourself up. In my experience, they work if you take baby steps. Some of mine have been effective. Some were just 'should's' that I didn't stick to."

I hate "should's" too. Besides, it gets boring having to resolve the same things every year... the same 10 pounds, the same debt paid off, the same promises to call our mothers more often.

What I love is the idea of the New Year. There is so much potential. So much opportunity. It's incredible, really, what can happen in the space of a year. Our children evolve before our eyes, and, hopefully so do we. Babies can be born, businesses can be born. We can take a small step that leads to a giant leap. 

All of the wonderful things that can happen take space and time and openness, however. If we are running from sun up to sun down, busy fulfilling the needs of others, there isn't a lot of room for the unknown, the unexpected or the unanticipated to occur. We feel stuck, stale and stagnant. And that is not WISE!

So what I propose is that we decide to resolve what NOT to do in 2012.

Here's mine:

 I resolve to not over commit (no laughter from the peanut gallery).

I resolve to not make myself so busy that there is not enough time for the weekly three-hour jewelry making class that I want to take. 

I resolve to not worry about things that I have no control over. 

I resolve to not stop my yoga practice, and at the same time to not become militant about my exercise regime. 

I resolve to not do things myself that others can do for me (in other words to not be a control freak).

There, I said it. 

I'd love to hear what you resolve to NOT do in 2012. Will you share on our Facebook Page?