Resolution: Rule of Twelves

I like New Year’s resolutions. Do I keep them? Not always. But there is something that compels me to make a list of resolutions every December 31—then put them in an obvious place (like the front of my day planner) where I will stumble upon them with regularity and hopefully guilt myself into trying again. No, it doesn’t always work, but I do believe that we owe it to ourselves (and our maker) to always be—as the US Army is fond of saying--“the best we can be.”

Sometimes it’s a little depressing to look at those unaccomplished resolutions that “carried over” from the year (okay, the decade) before. But I’m getting to the point in my life where I have to admit that I probably won’t read every Shakespearean play or learn to skydive.

To be truthful (and I really hate to admit this), as I get older I’m finding that my inclination is to settle into my comfort zone. Stick with what works. Go with the routine. Ugghh. I hate that. It’s a death sentence for us creative-types that is a lethal cocktail of one part laziness, one part apathy and one part concession. Suddenly, I’m envisioning myself in a nursing home with my teeth in a glass beside my bed and my blue hair in a net. Time to turn this story around, folks. Stir things up again. Step outside that comfort zone and keep things fresh. Mama didn’t raise any of her four daughters to take age lying down. (Besides, I wouldn't look good with blue hair.) So, I have a new plan.

I think I’ve finally stumbled upon an idea that is going to be a keeper from this point forward in my life. I’ll call it the “Rule of Twelves.” It follows the idea that tasks are easier to accomplish when you break them down into little parts. I decided upon the number 12 since that’s the number of months in a year. So, that means I just have to do one little thing each month. (Plus, if I set the bar kind of low, I can over-achieve!!) So here’s my list of goals for 2010:

· Visit 12 new places
· Eat at 12 new restaurants
· Read 12 good books
· See 12 good movies
· Discover 12 new great CDs/bands
· Meet and get to know 12 new people
· Try 12 new things (i.e. Frisbee golf, cake decorating classes, ballroom dance, etc.)
· Do 12 (significant) acts of kindness
· Try 12 new products/foods, etc.
· Take 12 “Mary” days (to do whatever I want!)
· Try 12 new recipes
· Learn something new about 12 historical figures (people that impacted our world)
· Take 12 minutes a day to feed my soul : - )

So, that’s the start of it. Seems doable, right? One dozen. That’s a little number. Not nearly as daunting as a long list of goals. It’s all about kaizen—a Japanese term meaning continuous and incremental improvement. I can do incremental. How about you? Wanna join the Kaizen Club?