Resolutions

So now that this year is 24 days old (such a young thing still), I think it is time to see how my resolutions are doing. I made three major resolutions that I was a little hesitant to write lest I jinx myself. For my sake and my memory's sake, I decided to write them now. I resolved to drink less coffee, eat more food and exercise more. Could I be any more ambiguous?

The problem with the ambiguity is that it is hard to determine if I've actually succeeded or failed. Depending on my mood and the degree to which I want to delude myself, I have either broken every one or passed with flying colors. I realize that any meaningful goal has to be realistic and measurable. So here I go 24 days after the fact...

#1 - Drink less coffee.
I will drink only 1 medium coffee or 1 medium latte a day. I have been very bad so far with this resolution. I've drunk less coffee than last year, but I failed against this new criteria.

#2 - Eat more food.
I will eat at least 2,700 calories a day. This seems like an awfully large amount of food, but to get back up to the healthy weight for my height, I need to eat more. Measured in bagels, I will be eating 9 bagels or bagel-equivalents a day. Yay? This one is hit and miss. Some days I just can't fit another piece of food in my mouth without feeling completely sick. It requires more snacking throughout the day and being more conscious of what I eat. Calorie counting stinks.

#3 - Exercise more.
I will exercise 3 days a week for an hour each day. I joined a gym for the first time in my life. It is one of the few places that doesn't sell alcohol and is open beyond 10 PM in this town. Okay, that isn't all true, Starbucks is open until 10:30 PM, but going there would probably violate Resolution #1. This one is actually going well.

In all honesty, my not-so-secret fourth resolution is to be less shy and more confident. Shyness is my leitmotif. This one I find troubling to quantify or measure. It is just too broad. I need to break it down into smaller bite-sized resolutions and goals.

My success up to this point is questionable. I have resolved to go out to lunch with a different coworker at least once a week. A minor success this week was having lunch without being flustered or tongue-tied. Leaving comments on other journals and posting to community boards could qualify as other minor successes. I still go through this obsessive grammar, spell and idiocy check just before I post. I need to just hit the submit button!

There are more than enough examples where I have retreated, but I'm not prepared to list all of them. Sufficed to say that this is the resolution that will require constant concentration and effort.