Photo credit: Buzzfeed/Lauren Zaser

I’m reposting this with a few updates. It’s a practical & crafty alternative to a journal! 

What is it about resolutions that make us uncomfortable?

Is it because resolutions speak to the things that we don’t like about ourselves? Maybe our ideal weight has gotten farther out of reach or one pack of cigarettes isn’t getting us through the day. Maybe we’re nearing the five-year anniversary at a low-paying job that was supposed to be temporary while we searched for something better. Whatever the case might be it usually involves change. And change is never easy.

Maybe it’s because we’ve attempted resolutions in the past, only to fail after a few  weeks or months. The “let’s make a fresh start” enthusiasm of the New Year, enhanced by the herd mentality and lots of confetti, quickly grows stale when the party ends and we struggle at home alone.

“Remeberlutions” are a positive alternative to resolutions. It’s good to set goals, but the focus is on the small accomplishments that lead to a larger objective, as they happen. When a target is reached or something special occurs, we write it down and deposit the paper in a jar. At the end of the year, we read and celebrate all the wonderful things that happened.

Decorating the jar is a fun way to add inspiration to the project. I found this idea in an older Buzzfeed article from 2014. For ideas on how to decorate your jar from the original article click here.

We should always strive to improve our lives whenever we can. The end of the old year is a good time to assess what work needs to be done. The beginning of a new year is a good time to start that work and a Rememberlutions jar is a fun way to record the journey!

Whatever your objectives are for 2019 I wish you the best of luck & don’t forget to give yourself credit for all your accomplishments, both great & small!