The popular trend this year is to not make New Year’s Resolutions. People are swearing them off and pledging to not change who they are. While I commend them for liking the way their lives are going and not wanting to change, I choose to use this time to figure out what I want out of life and set some goals.

I haven’t been happy with things for a long time. It’s really no one’s fault but my own. I’m overwhelmed, stressed out and generally just an unhappy human being most of the time. I decided that I don’t want to spend the one life I have unhappy so things need to change. What better time to commit to actually changing the direction things are going than New Years. I made a list of the areas in my life I wanted to change and I’m going for it. I know an insane number of resolutions never stick (like 92% according to some studies) but I’m going to pledge to be in that 8%. We’ll see next year how they went. Here are my resolution areas:

Health: Your health is something you never want to take for granted and I have been for a while. I know one of the number one New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. Well that’s not mine. I want to take control of my heath and make positive changes in my lifestyle. I don’t want my children growing up without a mother and I don’t want them growing up with unhealthy habits. While my children eat healthy food (for the most part) and follow a really healthy lifestyle, I want to be a role model for them. I refuse to even mention weight around my kids, especially my daughter because I don’t want them to think of things like that. I instead focus on what healthy choices can positively do for our bodies. This way I can be a healthy role model for my kids and still make the changes I need to make.

Financial: Again this is a big one and something I’ve neglected for far too long. This resolution is connected to all my other resolutions because when you’re struggling in debt you become stressed and unhappy, leading to a litany of other bad choices. I need to get this one under control for the sage of my future. I want to get my credit back up and climb out from under the mountain of student debt I’ve been ignoring. I’m on day two of my budget plan and I seriously want to buy things. I just think of it as “Will having that one thing right now really be worth it months from now?” The answer will almost always be no. Having a realistic budget helps with my next resolution….

Declutter: If I’m not shopping for things I don’t need then I’m not going to add to the clutter. I know there is so much we have that we don’t honestly need and it’s just filling our space with unnecessary stuff. I want to teach my children to appreciate what they have and not constantly want more. This is going to be a tough one because we always want to give our children the world, but they will be better people in the long run. Isn’t that the point when you’re a parent?

My last resolution is to find more time to figure out who I am as a person. I think for the last couple years I’ve gotten stuck in this identity crisis where I’m not really sure where I fit in my own life. I’m going to stop spreading myself so thin and focus on what’s really important.I’m going to keep to my New Year’s Resolutions this year for the sake of my happiness. Is it going to be easy? No way! At this moment I want to shop online, eat a brownie and go to sleep. But I’m the one in charge of my happiness and I’m ready to get my butt out of my own way.