Resolutions

I love making resolutions. I know that I’m in the minority on that one. But my approach to Resolutions is less guilt-based, less drudgery, and more fun. I use New Year Resolutions as a chance to take stock of my life, habits, and intentions, and to make changes—big and small—that I WANT to make. Not changes that I feel like I SHOULD do because I’m SUPPOSED to. I use Resolutions as an opportunity to give myself permission to do what I’ve got to do to be the me I want to be.

This is not to say that I don’t fall short. Last year, I truly did WANT to cultivate my avian appreciation skills, so I made a resolution to keep track of all the birds I spotted. Well, that didn’t work out and my specially-designed birding checklist was consigned to a makeshift grocery shopping list in no time. Oh well. I’ll try again on that one. Or maybe not. 

Another resolution I made a few years ago was to go ziplining. That one I technically met because I did get on a zipline in my cousin’s backyard, but I only made it halfway across because I let go when I realized that I was too scared to stop myself by bracing my feet against the oncoming tree. The result was a spectacular, face-first fall into the mud below, which was not my finest hour, but it was hilarious for all who were watching. I like bringing joy to others. 

A few years ago, I resolved to try improv comedy. So when I found a weekend camp for that, I signed up quickly before I could talk myself out of it. The rest is history (read my other blog post about that.) Lots of people have asked me why on earth it even occurred to me to pick up a new hobby, and why improv of all hobbies. So below I’m going to list some of the things I wanted more of in my life. I should add that I’ve been greatly influenced by several of my spiritual heroes and life philosophers whenever I make lists like these, including that fateful list-making session on New Year’s Eve in 2015. So, I should give a shout out to Gretchen Rubin, Brene Brown, Holly Temple, and Daniel Tiger. These 4 people/puppets help me figure out what I want to do and how I want to be.

So, here, in no particular order, is the list of things that I wanted more of in my life, and improv helps me with all of them. 

I, Andrea McCloskey, hereby resolve to be more...
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• Fun
• Joyful
• Weird
• Intuitive
• Giggly
• Playful
• Risk-taking
• Surprising
• Unpredictable
• Vulnerable
• Authentic
• Creative
• Confident
• Trusting
• Present
• Mindful
• Collaborative
• Connected
• Engaged
• Attuned
• Brave
• Funny
• Silly
• Responsive
• Visceral
• Adventurous
• Uninhibited
• Energized
• Accepting
• Supportive
• Supported
• Me!

What do you think? Can you add more to this list? Come take a class with us and make your own list!