NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

First and foremost, let me say Welcome to 2014 and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  OK, enough of the formalities, let’s just jump right in!!

And so it begins…the start of a new year.  What exactly does that mean, though?  Yes, I know what the calendar says, but in some ways, I wonder what the big hubbub is all about, especially in regards to New Year’s Resolutions.  Why is it only on January 1^st that most people decide to make resolutions for the specific year ahead?   Shouldn’t this be an ongoing process, but without the tag of “resolution” on it?  Isn’t this how we keep from being stagnant and grow as individuals, by striving to make ourselves and our lives better each and every day?  At least I know that’s how I live and view my life.  Granted, I tend not to call them resolutions, but instead I consider them goals, and for good reason.  I don’t need to do this on January 1^st, as in all actuality I do it all the time.  As an example, instead of saying “I’m going to go on a diet starting January 1^st and lose x-amount of weight this year,” why not set a goal of eating healthier, real foods every day?  That will in turn create a lifelong habit instead of a short-term goal that has an end point once you lose the weight you set out to.  I can attest to this personally in regards to a “New Year’s Resolution” I made at the beginning of 2009, which also happens to be a VERY common resolution year-after-year among many females regardless of age.  I made the 2009 New Year’s Resolution to weigh a certain amount and fit into a “little black dress” I’d been saving all those years (18 years at that point to be exact) by my 40^th birthday (which I turned in the early part of 2010…gave myself enough time to lose the weight as I had 65 pounds to lose by then).  Outcome was, I DID successfully accomplish this particular New Year’s resolution and weighed what I set out to for my 40^th birthday, and I DID fit into that "little black dress" without struggling at all.  However, because I lost the weight in a relatively unhealthy way, I ended up regaining 20 of those pounds right back on even before 2010 was over.  Only when I started eating healthy towards the end of 2011 and learning about nutrient-dense food was I able to lose the weight I gained back, but I’ve also kept that weight off plus a bit more AND I lost more overall body fat and inches without even trying, all without ever feeling hungry or deprived, which many of us end up feeling when we follow an unhealthy and/or fad “diet.”  Plus, without even having it as a part of my initial "resolution,” I significantly improved my overall physical health, emotional well being, and I was able to go off of all but one medication related to my Multiple Sclerosis symptoms.  Goes to show what you can accomplish when you don’t limit yourself to a single resolution, but set out on an overall goal. 

So, by reading this, take a look back to January 1^st.  Did you make New Year’s resolutions?  Is there maybe a way you can broaden their scope and make them more of everyday goals to better yourself as an individual, your day-to-day life, and your overall future instead of just being pigeon-holed into one set outcome?  This doesn't have to be about weight loss, this can be about ANYTHING you want to grow/change in your life.  You’ve got nothing to lose and there is no feeling of having “failed” if you did end up “breaking” your original New Year’s resolutions.  Think about it.  

Wishing you peace, love, and happiness,

Kristyn

And the winner is……..

The fans have spoken, and the winner of last week’s “pick the next topic” question, was:

2.  My point of view on a somewhat recent what-seems-to-be controversial holiday topic.  

So, what was the holiday controversy I was alluding to?  I’d seen this topic on a few Facebook pages, and I even chimed in on one of these conversations/arguments.  People seemed to have gotten their panties/boxers all in a twist over the recent Kmart Jingle Bells Joe Boxer ad.  If you haven’t seen it, here is a Youtube link for your viewing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSO3Rv6GLqQ

 I, personally, found it to be quite clever and tongue-in-cheek.  What those who were upset with it were saying/arguing is that it was either disgusting, lewd, inappropriate, and/or various other adjectives.  Or, they were wondering how to explain it to their children.  The other objection was that it was played over and over while watching children’s Christmas/Holiday shows while the kids were awake and watching TV with them.  Let me break down my view on all of this.  Again, this is my own, personal opinion on the subject...obviously!!!

In regards to the various negative adjectives used to describe the commercial, if you didn’t like it, you simply could have switched the channel.  Easy Peasey!!   No one was forcing you to watch it.  If you didn’t like it or didn't want your kids to watch it, this is a country of free will.  You should have turned on something you did approve of for the 30-60 seconds the commercial was on.  If you didn’t switch it off, maybe you didn’t mind it so much after all. ;-)  Just saying….

OK, the explaining of the commercial to your kids concern, of course it would need to be put in age appropriate terms.  But, from my own personal experience when my 5-year old son happened to see it, he just thought the guys were shaking their butts, and he proceeded to copy them.  That boy sure does love to shake his booty!!!   Now, to me, that would have been the easiest thing to explain to both boys and girls, especially if/when the full commercial was shown with the men ringing the bells behind the table at the very beginning.  Once that table slides over, anyone thinking it’s something else ringing just has a plain ‘ol dirty mind!!! :D  No doubt the teenage girls were giggling, but that’s a whole other topic.  Apparently the apple didn’t fall far from the tree if mom was still watching the commercial, too.  However, if that first part of the commercial is missed where the men are behind the draped table, even if the child knows about male anatomy, we all know testicles don’t ring like bells, so why couldn’t the concerned adult have explained it as the men shaking their butts in time to the music, just as if they were dancing?  A simple and truthful explanation.  Certainly more honest than the concept of men's anatomy actually ringing out Jingle Bells...And notice, it's Jingle Bells NOT Jingle Balls!!!

Finally the showing of the commercial during Christmas/Holiday movie viewing time.  Once or twice would have been fine and gotten Kmarts name/sales info out there.  Overkill is overkill, no matter what the commercial is, though.   I may have personally enjoyed seeing all that eye candy (it's healthier and calorie free after all!!!), but enough was enough when it was on every 15 minutes for hours on end.  However, in the end, I don’t blame Kmart for that decision; and is also why I was annoyed when people were stating they would boycott Kmart because of the ad and it even being shown on TV.  For me, this commercial was borderline genius and accomplished what Kmart set out to do….get their name out there during the holidays to drum up business.  My answer to those objections about the frequency and timing of the commercial was if you didn’t like the commercial being on during family viewing hours, take that up with the station you were watching.  They are the ones who make the programming decisions.  They are the ones who decided to take Kmart’s money and to run the ads as much as they did.  They could have said no to Kmart and no to the money.  They could have decided to not play the commercial.  So if you have a problem with when/how much that commercial was on, take it up with the various stations you were all watching.  But don’t blame Kmart.   In the end, it’s not their fault.

So what do you think of my first-ever controversial blog topic?  Should I do more in the future?  Let me hear your thoughts and suggestions!!

Now that the holidays are just about over with New Year’s Eve quickly approaching, let me take this time now to thank everyone for reading my blog and getting a glimpse inside the complex workings of my mind.  I really do appreciate your time and any/all feedback you’ve given over the months.  There will be much more to come in the New Year, don’t you worry!!!  One of my new posts will be the topic that got the 2^nd highest amount of votes, my “Three Dates, Three Months, 30,000 miles” dating philosophy.  I had a close, long-time male friend of mine comment about it on my Facebook page, who also happens to have experienced this philosophy first hand with me.  As we were commenting back and forth on it, I realized I need to dedicate one whole blog post to him. – LOL!!!  We’re talking about a history that goes back to when we met on my 15^th birthday.  To put that into perspective, I will be 44 years old this coming March...we'll be hitting 29 years of us knowing each other!!!  It’s been a long and crazy, up-and-down roller coaster ride for the two of us to say the least!!!

So, until next time….

Wishing you peace, love, happiness, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Kristyn