I miss the days when there was only ONE resolution I didn't plan to keep.

Many of you know this about me, but I am huge fan of The Office. I tend to quote the show at least 10 times a day. Nope, I'm not exaggerating. Yes, I guess that makes me some kind of weirdo. Whatever. The title of this blog comes from an episode of The Office when 2 competing party planning committees (the Party Planning Committee vs. the Committee to Plan Parties) were throwing rival Christmas parties at the same time. When the camera crew was getting the opinions of the office workers, one of them (Ryan) said "I miss the days when there was only one party I didn't wanna go to."

The above paragraph has nothing to do with my point, I just wanted a reason to reference The Office once again. :-)

Anyway. Here's my point. New Year, New Goals, New Opportunities for Failure. Doesn't the year already feel ripe with the possibility of disappointing yourself once again? Heck, it's been my experience year after year.... set a goal.... miss it by a LONG SHOT... end the year disappointed in myself... repeat annually as necessary.

I'd love to feel a sense of hope and promise and (whatever) for 2009, but judging by the utter HORROR that was my 2008, I just don't know where this hope and promise is supposed to come from. So, anyway, I've come to the realization that I am done setting resolutions at the beginning of the year. None of them have ever come to fruition and I doubt that would suddenly change.

What I AM going to do, however, is create a list of demands. Yes that's right. Demands. If my demands are not met by the end of this year, you'll see a brand new Kim(bobulous) come 2010. So, who am I making these demands of? You guessed it. Myself. Why just make a resolution when you can bully yourself into doing something? I think I respond better to aggressive tactics anyway.

Without further ado, I present Kim's Ultimate List of Demands for 2009:

1. I DEMAND that I lose a significant amount of weight by the end of this year. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. If I can't manage to stick to one measly nutrition & exercise plan, what kind of loser am I?!
2. I DEMAND that I stop being jealous of all my friends & acquaintances who "appear" to have everything all figured out. They didn't come up with the "grass is greener" expression for no reason. NO ONE has everything all figured out. So I need to STOP worrying about everyone else, and just worry about myself.
3. I DEMAND that I stop being afraid to speak my mind. Oh I've got all kinds of guts when it comes to emailing, texting, IMing, etc. But face to face I'm a total wimp most of the time -- and that needs to stop. No more fear in 2009!!!!!!
4. I DEMAND that I start attending church again. Yes, this one is tough for me, I'll admit that. Some of you may know why, some of you may not give a crap. Suffice it to say I've been in & out of some really messed up churches and my little battered & worn spirit has resulted to putting up quite a fuss whenever someone tries to get near it. This needs to stop, and I need to re-open my heart to receive spiritual nourishment.
5. I DEMAND that I begin to really appreciate all the great things I do have, instead of focusing on everything I don't have. This is another tough one because as humans we tend to want what we can't (or don't) have. All I can say is enough is enough! I've got some really great people in my life. Friends & family. Sorors & coworkers. And of course, Mickey & his fun-loving pals.
6. I DEMAND that I have more fun, travel more, go out more, meet more people, and make a difference in someone's life in 2009. (Yes.... that's a big one.)
   

So, there you have it. My demands for 2009. Now that I have them written, I can focus on meeting them one by one (in no particular order).

And, I'm done sharing. Good night.