I prefer making smaller goals as opposed to resolutions. Sometimes goals turn into something longer and sometimes they don’t. I have a confession to make. Last year I had a goal to file once a week for fifteen minutes, and I did not follow through on it. Why? I think it is because I dislike filing immensely, and I found preferable ways to spend my time, believing I would try again the next week. My situation reminds me of the poem, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out, by Shel Silverstein, about a girl who would not take the garbage out and the garbage piled higher and higher. That is what might happen to my pile that needs filing if I keep neglecting it!

Last year I also wanted to drink more water. I even bought a new water bottle, which I would take with me every where. But in reality I would be lucky if I drank all of its contents in one day, but hey, at least I had a glass with dinner. Recently I read that a good place to start is drinking half your weight in ounces. Some days, I was doing maybe half of that. I noticed how dry my skin and lips were getting and how dehydrated I would get, and I was tired of that.

My new goal is to actually drink more water this month and not just wish that I would. I decided to try for a month because generally it takes at least 3 weeks for something to become a habit. I started out this past week by making sure I drank one bottle’s worth of water before lunch, and I am also working on drinking another one before dinner. I usually have 8 ounces with breakfast in the form of herbal tea, and I drink a glass with dinner. I have had the habit of trying to catch up drinking water too late in the day, and I would repeatedly wake up during the night to go to the bathroom. Now, I am trying to follow through and end most of my water intake at 7:00pm. I also put a couple drops of lemon essential oil in my water once a day as well, which helps support digestion.

Positive results I have noticed so far: my lips aren’t as dry, neither is my skin. It has helped me have better digestion, and I haven’t been waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom as often.

From experience, I can say writing down a goal or deciding to do something does nothing-you have to make a deliberate choice to begin and stay disciplined to keep going. Asking someone to keep you accountable can help. I know that some days will be better than others, but that is okay. I will wake up each day and start again.

Do you have a new goal you are trying to stick to? Let me know in the comments.