New Year's Resolutions

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

Here are a few interesting findings based on this article:

• 38,5% of US adults set New Year’s resolutions every year

• 23% quit in the first week, and only 36% make it past the first month

• 9% successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions

I am not a US citizen but if I were, I would belong to that 9% group.

No matter what resolutions I make, I keep them, or I modify the resolutions 😉😉😉

I have started/developed a few good habits and I plan to keep them or modify them to better suit my needs.

Here is the summary of 2022 and my intended activities for 2023 (some daily and some weekly):

• Daily 10,000 steps: I started that habit on Christmas day 2016. For the year 2022 (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31), my average daily steps = 17,231 (13.13 km) 👍👍👍

• Daily French podcast: I added a few more to listen to based on recommendations from a Facebook group. Listening to InnerFrench has become my lullaby 😴😴😴

• Weekly practice with someone for a language exchange: I did a few and I would like to make it a habit to improve my French

• Swimming: once a week or more. I did 400 meters last time and I would like to keep that goal for each time if possible

• Weekly badminton: starting soon. Yeah!

• Blogging: I wrote my one-minute blog each day for more than two years straight. I modified the frequency and length of my writing from last July. for 2023, I will write at least one entry per week. When I do write, I don't limit it to one minute anymore.

• Daily movies in the evening: I have been doing pretty well with movies at home. It is both an entertainment and learning activity because I either listen to French or read French subtitles. I also watched a few French movies in the cinema last year and I would like to do more this year 🍿🍿🍿

• At one point, I will start learning how to play the keyboard/piano this year. It has been a dream for me since I was very young. 🎹🎹🎹

What I did on the first day of 2023:

1. Slept in, I got up after 10 am and I didn't even make it to midnight yesterday

2. Changed the water filter, watered the plants, and mopped the floor

3. Cleaned up my WeChat contacts. I need to spend less time on social media

4. Left a few Facebook groups

5. Sent out a "request for help" (waiting for approval) on Facebook asking for practicing French with native speakers

6. A candle-lid bubble bath water is running as I am writing this entry🛀🛀🛀

7. A French movie (comedy or drama) will come after

To the prosperous year of 2023, cheers!