Monday, December 31, 2012

Knitting Resolutions for the New Year



How many of us are making resolutions for the the coming year of knitting? I am, I just can't help it. I like resolutions almost better than I like goals because they are more immediate and they define the action for right now. Goals often seem to exist somewhere out there in the distance future. I have also learned that I am more successful if I write my resolutions on my to do list as a reminder. It seems to help to establish new habits.  

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

To help you decide on your resolutions, assuming you want to make any, I have a list of questions below to prompt your thinking. 

  • What one word could serve as a theme for the coming year? In the past I've used words such as fun, organize, more and extraordinary.
  • What concrete actions do you want to take to change your life? Do you want to learn a new skill? Do you want start a knitting group?
  • Know that some people hate saying no to themselves. If you are one of that group phrase your resolution in positive not negative terms. "I will start my Christmas 2013 knitting in June." not "I won't leave my Christmas knitting to the last minute and make myself crazy"
  • What do YOU want to do? Try to eliminate the "I should" from your thinking. 
  • Ask yourself about accountability. What are you going to do about tracking your progress? Hint, being accountable to others is one of the strongest motivators.
  • Pay attention to things that are making you unhappy. Do you spend too much time knitting for other people? Would you be happier knitting more for other people? Only you can answer that question.
  • Pay attention to things that are making you happy. If garter stitch scarves are soothing in a stressful life, keep knitting them. If gigantic lace weight shawls with multiple stitch patterns are your escape from ruminating about negative aspects of your life, keep knitting them.
The questions may prompt thinking about other areas of your life as well. I hope so! 

Happy New Year

2 comments:

  1. Hello! I was just Googling "Knitting Resolutions", trying to find some content for my knitting guild's newsletter (of which I'm in charge), and I came across your great post. I really appreciate that it's meant to guide the reader into forming their own resolutions, rather than providing a list of "shoulds".

    I'd like to ask your permission to reprint this in our January newsletter (which I need to finish up in the next day or two -- yikes!). We're the Salt Lake Knitting Guild in, you guessed it, Salt Lake City, Utah. I would give you full credit and include links to your blog and Ravelry profile, if you'd like.

    Thank you for your time, and Happy New Year to you, too!

    Best,

    Katy

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