Don’t Follow Your Dreams, Chase Them: My 2012 Resolutions

The holiday season has been a time of unplugging and rejuvenating for me, but I’m still here — complete with a Google Reader that is begging me to sit down and read the 300+ posts I’ve been ignoring over the holidays. But hey, even us social media junkies need a break from it sometimes, right?

While I’ve been taking my break, I’ve been sitting down with a good old fashioned notepad and a pen (okay, I do this even when I’m not on a social media break because I just love the feel of a pen on paper) and brainstorming my New Year’s Resolutions.

It should come as no surprise to those of you who know me, or who have been following along on the blog for a while, that I love New Year’s Resolutions. I love to-do lists and I love goal setting. My 30 before 30 list is a prime example, and you’ll see a few things from that list pop up on my list of resolutions, too.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I give each year a theme, too. Yes, I’m cool like that. 2012′s theme is brought to you by my obsession with Pinterest quotes right now, but it’s also the perfect theme for the inspiration I’m feeling as I head into 2012.

Yes, I realize it's a little unfortunate that the person this quote is attributed to has the last name Dumb... but it's not a dumb quote.

So without further ado…

2012: Don’t Follow Your Dreams, Chase Them.

Get enough sleep. I promise, this has something to do with chasing dreams. I need a solid eight hours of sleep a night. (Somehow, I functioned just fine on four or five before my colitis diagnosis, but I suppose my body needs more sleep now that it likes to attack itself?) When I don’t get enough rest, I drag in the mornings, my day starts off on a rushed and anxious note, and I don’t have the energy to give my best in the things I do. By getting to bed at a reasonable hour, I hope to change all that. I also plan on getting myself ready — clothes laid out, lunch packed when need be — the night before, so that I can be less frantic in the morning.

Stop eating fast food. Like getting enough sleep, this has more to do with my physical health. But my physical health keeps me on my toes for dream chasing! I have a weakness for fast food. It’s really kind of disgusting. I know it’s not good for me. I know it makes me lethargic when I eat it and I know how much better I feel when I don’t. It’s time to cut it out — literally.

Chick-fil-a, I'm going to miss you in 2012. But you're no good for me.

Read more. I recently read a book that changed the way I think about my life. Getting lost in a good book was something I used to do frequently. It made me a dreamer, sparked ideas, and took me to new places. When I don’t make time to read, I feel like I’m missing a part of myself. In 2012, I want to read more and watch TV less. I’m shooting for two books a month, but hoping to do much, much better than that. I’m frantically updating my “To Read” shelf on Goodreads in anticipation of this resolution. If you have suggestions, let me know!

Run a 2:30:00 half marathon. Yes, this is straight off the 30 before 30 list. I think this is the year I’m going to do it. And what better way to chase my dreams than by actually running? Ha ha ha. I’m so funny. I’m still hammering out my race calendar for 2012, but I can guarantee it will include plenty of fast, flat half marathon courses.

Schedule appointments with myself and keep them. Things that are important to me, like training for races and spending time writing, often take the back burner to work, social obligations, and things I need to get done around the house. 2012 is a year to change all that. I’m going to purposefully plan time into my days to do the things that matter to me, and then I’m going to keep those appointments. I’m going to leave the cell phone at home and go for a run or put it on silent and lock myself in my office to write. I’m going to remind myself that those dates, with me, are as important as any other.

Stay organized. I love, love, love organizing things. Finding the right way to organize and actually staying organized? Totally different story. 2012 is the year of getting and staying organized. One less thing to occupy my time and keep me from chasing down those dreams, right?

And of course, the over-arching goal of 2012 is to chase down my dreams, and let nothing stand in my way. Nothing at all.

Do you make resolutions? Love them? Hate them? What are your 2012 resolutions?