No Resolutions – Five Promises for 2014

According to USA.gov, the most popular New Year’s resolutions are:

• Drink less alcohol
• Eat healthy food
• Get a better education
• Get a better job
• Get fit
• Lose weight
• Manage debt
• Manage stress
• Quit smoking
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle
• Save money
• Take a trip
• Volunteer to help others

All very noteworthy. But for the most part, you’re either making these things part of your day-to-day living or you’re not. To resolve to live a healthier life or get out of debt – fine (and eliminate that debt before you take that trip!). I’m not making any specific New Year’s resolutions. I will, however, make these promises, and not just for 2014:

• I promise never to post a picture of my hands or feet online. I don’t understand why women feel the need to show their pedicures. And since I don’t want to look at your feet, ever, you’ll never have to look at mine.

• I promise not to post any of those “share if you agree – only 3% of you will do it” posts. You know the ones: ‘No one likes cancer, so share this post if you hate cancer. 97% of you won’t share, only those who truly hate cancer will like and share.’  Stop with the extortion! Friends don’t practice extortion. 🙂

• I promise not to retweet anything that includes Miley Cyrus or Duck Dynasty in it. I also promise not to blog about it (except in this one instance).

• I promise to check out a news story for its veracity before sharing it on social media. Sometimes it’s just so easy to hit that button. I read it online, so it must be true! Not.

• And I promise to use social media for its original purpose – to connect with old friends and establish new relationships, to foster those connections, and to provide quality, positive content. Feel free to hold me to that one.

Wishing you all the warm comfort of family, friends, heat, and food. Through the bleak midwinter, we march toward longer days. HOPE is a powerful word.

Now, what about you? Resolving? Not? New beginnings for 2014?