After a quiet New Year’s Eve at home, 2012 has arrived. The last day of the year is usually reserved for reflection upon the year that has passed all too quickly. The first day of the year is usually reserved for resolving to do the things to make the new year better than the last.

Resolutions are often hard to keep, mainly because people try to be overachievers when setting their resolutions. In order for new year’s resolutions to be successful, they must be something that can reasonably be achieved. If you set your goals for the new year as ones that you know right now are impossible, you’re setting yourself up for failure, and there’s no need to do that. So before you set your resolutions, be sure to assess whether they are reasonable and feasible. If so, move forward. If not, rethink and revise to create resolutions you can achieve. It’s also a good idea to limit the number of resolutions you make. If the list is too long, you’ll hit some and miss others. If you want resolutions that you can reasonably achieve, don’t set yourself up for failure by having a list that’s too long to manage.

With that said, here are my resolutions for 2012.

1. I will continue writing something every day. I will keep posting to the blog daily. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to do this thus far, and I do realize that there might be a day when circumstances beyond my control force me to miss a post, but my goal is to continue posting daily. I’m going to expand the writing something every day part of the resolution, though. I’ll have my daily blog, but I also need to put some more work into that unfinished project I mentioned when I started the blog. Therefore, I will write something every day, I will post to the blog every day, and at least two days per week, I will work on that unfinished project. See how I’m trying to be reasonable? I know with everything else I have to do, it would be futile to say I’ll do the blog and the project every day. It’s much more reasonable to think I can do the blog every day and the project at least twice per week. And the “at least” means I can do it more often when the opportunity presents itself.

2. I will read 75 books this year. I realize that’s a lofty goal, especially since I only managed a measly 40 for 2011. However, on my high year, I did 62, so I think this goal is feasible. That’s only 6.25 books per month. I read seven books in December, four of them in the week after Christmas. Of course, I was motivated to reach 40 before the year’s end. Since I’ve set my goal, I’m planning to be motivated to keep it. Some months I’m sure reading 6.25 books will be quite easy, and others it will be more difficult. I feel confidant that I can do this. A few snow days through January and February would be helpful, though.

3. I will lose 20 pounds this year. It seems that whenever resolutions come around, weight loss inevitably is there. I’m no different. I know I need to lose quite a few more than 20 pounds, but again, let’s be reasonable. I like to eat, and my husband is a great cook. However, I’ve no doubt I can lose at least 20 pounds. The real challenge will be keeping that 20 pounds off. And, who knows, after the first 20 pounds are gone, maybe more will follow.

4. I will try at least one new recipe per week. My husband and I love to cook. We have lots of cooking magazines and cookbooks. We’ve tried several new recipes in 2011. However, there are still a lot of awfully good recipe out there that we haven’t gotten around to yet. If I commit to making one new recipe per week, then perhaps we’ll finally stop talking about trying some of them and start making them. One new recipe per week seems feasible, and by the end of the year, we’ll have tried 52 new recipes. This may prove to be my favorite resolution of the year. Now, if only I could convince my finicky children to try one new food per week, all would be right in the culinary world.

5. I will update my faithful readers on the status of my various resolutions at least once per month. Often resolutions and goals are easier to achieve with a support system. Actually listing them makes them more real. Reporting on the status to someone keeps you honest. If nothing else, by updating you once a month on the status of my resolutions, perhaps I can give you some book titles you might enjoy or some recipes you might want to try.

And this is where I’m drawing the line on my new year’s resolutions. All of them are manageable and feasible, and the list is short enough that I shouldn’t forget anything that’s on there. With that, I’ll wish you luck on your developing and keeping your own new year’s resolutions. And I definitely wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year!