New Year's Resolutions: How to succeed where I have always failed!

It’s that time of year again where we all decide that this year we’re going to be better, kinder, healthier, more in shape, etc. We make our New Year’s resolutions and this time damn it, we’re going to stick with them.
 
I hate jumping on common, popular bandwagons. I find all too often they aren’t worth the effort, but there’s something special about ringing in the New Year. It’s the sense of renewal and new beginnings that gets us to the gym for those first few weeks in January, or that keeps us from the alcohol or soda we so desperately want but are determined to cut from our lives.
 
Every year I set myself a new goal and every year I fail before February has even shown its face. I blame lack of time or energy. A litany of excuses can come to my lips even now. Yet, a new year rolls along, and here I am once again setting a new goal for myself.

This year in an effort to keep to my plan and succeed where I have always failed, I’m going to write about it. I love writing. It’s something that brings me joy and happiness. Publishing is a bit scarier and don’t get me started on editing, but writing, the moment that words fly from my fingers on to the screen, is a moment of joy that I live for.
 
As an author I have a strict schedule that keeps me moving forward even when I would rather sit on my butt and do nothing. I work from home. It’s so easy to say. “You don’t have to work today. You’ve earned a break. You should really just sit on the couch and binge watch Bones.”
 

To keep myself on task I set a schedule and stick to it. I wake up early in the morning. (Yes, I’m one of THOSE people who gets up at the crack of dawn with energy and a lust for life. Don’t hate me for it.) I draft for five hours while drowning myself in tea.
 
By ten o’clock I’m spent as far as creating new words is concerned and I move on to other parts of my job, editing, formatting, marketing, and the host of other things I have to do as an indie author. 
 
I do this every day with a few tweaks here and there. For example, I only draft for three hours on weekends and don’t do much else work-related during the day. (I seriously have trouble working when my husband is home. It’s ridiculous. We aren’t even in the same room, but I know he’s there. It’s distracting.)

​Since, my schedule works so well for me as an author, I think it will work for me to make my resolution a success. So, to make this New Year’s resolution stick. I’m going to blog about it. Three times a week. That’s right: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
 
I tend to talk most often about writing-related things in this blog, but for the following year, I’m going to change it up on those three days

Why? Because this year I’m going vegetarian and then vegan. (I’m lactose intolerant, going vegan is not going to be a big jump for me. I mean, I’ve already given up cheese.) My reasons for this change are numerous and will take up another entire blog post all on their own. I have every intention of sharing those with you, but for now, we’ll focus on my steps for succeeding this year where I have only ever failed before.
 
I’ve tried to go vegetarian several times throughout my life and it’s always ended badly. Like finding myself half-way done with a hotdog before I realize I’m vegetarian kind of bad. (I’m not joking about this. Totally happened. I was wondering why this hotdog was the most amazing thing I’d eaten in a month and a half. A hot dog!)
 
This time, I’m more prepared, I’m better informed, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I love cooking, almost as much as I love writing. Spending time in the kitchen is a joy I share with my husband every time I make dinner. What better way to succeed at a goal than to combine it with something I love?
 

Becoming vegan is going to take a step by step approach where I learn what my body needs and making sure she gets it. Every attempt I made before involved me simply taking meat out of my diet without any careful planning about what I need to eat to supplement what I’m losing. The reason that hot dog was so amazing was my body’s way of telling me to get smarter. I wasn’t getting the protein, fats and vitamins I needed. (Hello, B12, I’m talking to you.)
 
This time there’s no real excuse to fail. The internet is full of helpful hints, recipes, and a community of people that have healthy plant-based life styles. I will emulate them and move forward.
 
Monday will be about something new I’ve learned in my research. It can be anything from a list of alternate protein sources to what the hell is nutritional yeast and how do I use it. I can share my journey with the rest of you and learn from you as well. Hopefully, we can all work our way to a healthier lifestyle.
 
Wednesday will be comments on recipes I’ve found online or in cookbooks. I’ll make them, try them and rate them. With luck this will teach me more and more about cooking plant based.
 
Friday, I’ll share my own recipes with you. Did I mention that I like to cook? I have recipes I’ve made over the years that I am determined to make plant-based and still delicious. I will succeed and when I do, I’ll share them with you.
 
I hope you’ll come with me on my journey. I’d love to hear from all of you about your own resolutions. Do you have a plan of attack to help you succeed? Let us chat, share, and encourage each other.