January’s Ten-Letter Swear Word: Resolution

You count down with everyone around you while scrambling to get beside that perfect person you want to kiss when the clock hits midnight. Then, after a few tuneless lines of Auld Lang Syne you begin yet another fruitless trek down resolution lane.

As noble as losing weight or quitting smoking can be, if you're anything like me, by day three it's pretty well a lost cause. So before you rush out to buy that gym membership, take a look at what you can do and what you would like to do.

We tend to get trapped in this glorified idea of change, that one promise made in an alcohol-induced euphoria is enough to somehow make our lives better. But fear not, there's a straightforward way to keep those warm and fuzzy feelings alive throughout the year: simplicity.

Anything that you want to change in your life can be achieved if it is merely broken down to smaller parts. What most of us don't realize is that change comes from adaptation, so if you can learn to adapt, you will change.

Let's take the ever-favourite promise to lose weight. Kudos to you if this is your goal, because it is not an easy road to go down; but let's say you started getting off the bus one stop early, or replacing the cream in your coffee with milk; now all of the sudden it's not so hard. "But I don't like the taste of milk in my coffee," you grumble. Adapt. Little changes that are maintained throughout the year lead to monumental results. For example, if you eat two chocolate chip cookies a day at 220 calories and 8 grams of fat and you replace them with two caramel flavoured rice cakes at 120 calories and 2 grams of fat, over the year you've eliminated 36,500 calories and 2190 grams of fat from your diet. How's that for change?

But for all of you 90-pound non-smokers out there who are looking for a challenge, here are some ideas that can get the resolution train chugging along nicely:

• Volunteer. There are many organizations in the Ottawa area that are in need of a few energetic people like you. From Canadian Blood Services to the Humane Society to Meals on Wheels, these orgs only ask for a few hours of your time, and they are a great way to network, socialize, and keep the warm and fuzzies going strong.
• Step outside the box. The YMCA and the Ottawa Rec Guide offer many interesting activities that you probably didn't think even existed. They are relatively cheap, and a good way to try something new. You never know, that gourmet sushi course could come in handy at your next party.
• Face your fears. Ever look at the daily crossword in your local paper and shudder? What better time to learn a new craft than during the chill of another Canadian winter? Grab a tutorial book, or, even better, saddle up beside that person in the corner of the coffee shop who is furiously unravelling those ever-frustrating Sudoku puzzles and ask if he or she wouldn't mind showing you how it's done.

New Year is a time for family, friends, and new beginnings. But the instant society we live in has taught us that resolutions, no matter how small or large, need to produce results in a timely fashion -- now. But there is a certain serenity in working at something, in seeing it through to the end of the journey. So instead of barrelling forward into 2010, and tumbling ass over teakettle before the third week of January is through, take it slow, start small, and watch as the results quietly manifest into being.

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