New Yorkers and Their New Year's Resolutions

by Tracy Kaler

What are your New Year's resolutions?

You may have opinions about New Year's resolutions. Maybe you make them every year and by the end of January, they're long forgotten, or perhaps you refuse to succumb to the traditional silliness that accompanies "Auld Lang Syne" and ignore these annual commitments.

You may live each day with no intended changes or improvements over the past. Or instead, you may look forward to reviewing, evaluating, and planning for the months to come.

Whatever your preference, as we move into another year, our New York bloggers are sharing their very own New Year's resolutions for 2013. You might find that you have a few of these in common. I know that I do.

Ashley

• Learn one new word in Italian each day. An item on my all-time bucket list is to become fluent.
• Have patience.
• Read more classic novels than I currently do---  i.e. Jane Austen over Jane Green
• Regarding wardrobe: quality over quantity.
• Be grateful. 

Suzie

Aside from the obvious, like find the perfect boyfriend, make a million dollars and suddenly become 6-'0" and 110 lbs, I've narrowed it down to a few actual ones.

• Apply to some PhD programs (eventual goal is to be a professor)
• Try one new workout class a month - but fun ones!  So far, I'm dong barre in January (in NYC, this is a thing, apparently), and some sort of anti-gravity trapeze yoga in February.
• I'm going to try to buy tickets to The Book of Mormon, which means MAYBE I'll get to see it by the end of 2013.

Book of Mormon is a sold-out show--photo by Sarah_Ackerman via Flickr

Michelle

My New Years resolution is to be in the present moment. New York's pace is 'Go! Go! Go!' and I often find myself focused on what's next. Despite the speed of the city, I need to find it within myself to mentally and emotionally (Physically? Never!) feel what I m feeling in 'the now.'

Michelle wants to focus on living in the New York moment--Photo via Katy DaSilva on Pinterest

Jerry

• I'd like to make more money, be more organized, expand my writing and have my next book out on the market!
• Get engaged to Silvia :), married and find a great place together, of course. 
• Write more for this great blog ---"Tracy's New York Life!"  (Jerry of course gets the gold star on this one)

Photo by Sean MacEntee via Flickr

Amanda

• Continue to stay in shape, and push myself with harder/more intense exercises (I try to go to the gym 4 days a week, all 4 including cardio and 2 out of those 4 including weights/abs/strength training).
• Write more and experiment with different styles/narrative tones, particularly in the personal essay and poetry genres.
• Relax more, help to tackle some of my anxiety and social fears, especially the fear of missing out.
• Improve my relationship with my mother, come to terms that we are two completely different people, and show her more emotional support instead of criticism.
• Exhibit more self-confidence - I have a hard time accepting compliments, believing that people in my life really care about me, and having faith in my own accomplishments. I am also a bit self-conscious about my personal appearance, so I would like to continue to work on that.

Joann

• I want to incorporate more fitness into my life without it costing money; in short, I want to walk more, spend more time in Central Park.
• I want to not rely on digital photography so much and get back to exploring 35mm film and processing at home, i.e. make a darkroom.
• I want to explore the city more and live by the motto, 'it's here today' (and gone tomorrow) so enjoy it—and patronize it—while it's still here.
• I want to be more open to new experiences, listen to new music, go to more art openings, eat more foods that I've never tried.
• Finally, I want to go to some of the New York places where I've never before been and watch less television, read more classic literature as books (not digital files), and take a horse and carriage ride while I still can.   

One of Joann's resolutions is to be more active and get to Central Park more often.

Tracy

Wow! We are a determined bunch. Not sure how I could top that list, or even try, so I won't. Funny though, my own versions of some of the above resolutions are not so different.

• Watch less television.
• Read more in print and less digitally.
• Go back and re-read some of those classics that I read so many years ago.
• Walk more, take more Zumba.
• Continue to experience parts of New York City that I haven't yet, especially more hoods in Brooklyn.
• Get my E-book published.

Whatever your resolution is or isn't, I think something we can all agree on is to make 2013 better than 2012. 

Even if last year was a record year and you accomplished everything you set out to do, there's always a little space for improvement. I plan to raise the bar a notch and see what happens over the next 12 months. I will continue to bring interesting and unique content to the readers of "Tracy's New York Life"-- thanks to all of you!

Happy New Year and cheers for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2013.

Brooklyn Bridge--photo by Rich Man via Flickr