At the beginning of the year, I made five seemingly simple resolutions. I only did five because I wanted a manageable number. I did seemingly simple ones because I wanted ones I could achieve. I didn’t want a long list of things I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete. No need to doom myself from the start. Now, one month into 2012 (can anybody else believe that it’s already the last day of January?), it’s time to take a look back at the list to see how I’ve managed.

1. My first resolution is about my writing and came in three parts. First, I would continue to write every day. Second, I would continue to post a blog every day. Third, I would work on my project at least twice a week. For this resolution, I’ll have to borrow a quote from Meat Loaf, “Two out of three ain’t bad.” I have been successful with the first two parts. I’ve been less successful with the third. I have done some work on the project, but it hasn’t been at least twice a week as I’d hoped. At this point, it would be easy to just throw out the third part, especially since I haven’t been successful with that one. One thing my daddy taught me, though, is that the easy way isn’t necessarily the best way. Therefore, I’m going to keep working to ensure that I maintain success with the first two parts, and I’m going to work harder so I can achieve success on the third. It’ll be good for me, and I’ll be a better person for it.

2. My second resolution is about reading. My goal is to read 75 books this year, and I determined that in order to be successful with this I would need to read at least 6.25 books per month. I’m proud to report that once again, I have been successful. I have already read 8 books this month. I read the five books in the Percy Jackson series in a matter of four days, thanks to a long weekend break from work. I reread the classic Pride and Prejudice, which is always a good read. I just hope I can keep it up. If you haven’t read any of these, I would recommend you do so.

3. My third resolution is about weight loss. My goal for the year is 20 pounds. I’ve even managed some success here, even though I haven’t been working as hard toward that end as I should have been. I managed two pounds this month, which obviously is not a lot, but it’s a start, and if I actually start to work at it, I’m sure I can do better.

4. My fourth resolution is about cooking. My husband and I love to cook, and we have lots of cookbooks and magazines. We spend a lot of time watching Food Network, so this resolution was designed to allow us to try new recipes. Again, this resolution has seen success. We decided we’d take turns choosing the new recipe of the week to try, and being the generous wife I am, I let Jimmy choose first. So far for the month of January, we have tried six new recipes: Lizzie’s Roasted Chicken with Salsa Verde, Orange Breakfast Muffins, Barbecued Meat Loaf, Chili Con Carne, Chicken Breasts with Bacon, and Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss. The good news is we’ve enjoyed every one of these new recipes. Without the challenge to try at least one new recipe each week, we may have gotten around to them, but most likely, we wouldn’t have. Therefore, this is one of the best resolutions anyone who likes to cook could make. I’m looking forward to the next month of new recipes, and if any of you want these recipes, send me a message. I’ll be glad to share with you.

5. My fifth and final resolution is about updating you, my readers. Since I’m posting this blog of updates, I can also count this one as a success. I like the idea of doing this because it keeps me honest, and it keeps me on track. I hate failing at something, and if I know I’m reporting to someone about what I’m doing, I’m going to work harder to make sure I don’t have to report a failure. Providing updates allows me to stay focused on my goals for the year.

Looking back over the month of January, I can say I have had more successes than failures, but I do still have room to improve. Right now, I need to find more time to work on my project so I meet my goal of at least twice a week every week. Right now, I’m up 1.75 books on my reading goal, but without vigilance that could easily go the other way. Right now, I’m down two pounds, and that was without really trying. If I want to meet my goal, I’m going to have to put some effort into it. Right now, the recipe challenge is going great. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble keeping up with this one.

I hope you’re having as much success with your resolutions as I’m having with mine. And for now, we can check one month off. We made it through the first month, so it should be easier to make it through the next eleven, right?