Resolutionary

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? If so, how many? Do you go for big goals, such as quitting smoking or dropping 50 pounds, or stick to smaller notions, such as eating more veggies or reading more books? How long are you generally able to keep them?

I, like many Americans today, am feeling resolutionary. I love resolutions. I love the idea of starting over. I love the feeling of conviction that THIS time, I'm going to do it and do it right. But I'm working - against my all-or-nothing nature - to make them smaller, more manageable, more doable. Because I hate the feeling of failure that comes when I, um, inevitably give up. I intended to only have one, but of course the list has grown.

So, 2013's goals are:

5. Grow out these fingernails. I admit it. I am a compulsive nail biter. I am ashamed of the state of my fingers and don't really want you trying to inspect them. I have short, stubby fingers as it is, so having rawly bitten tips just makes it worse. I HAVE grown out my nails in the past and kept them that way, so I know I can do this. And I will, because it would be nice to be able to start the tape roll, open packages, and peel off price labels again.

4. Exercise 3 days a week. This may sound like a big goal, and considering where I currently am in regards to exercising (on the couch), it kind of is. But I USED to, as recently as mid-2012, go to the gym 5 times a week, so setting my sights on 3 is a way of combatting the "if it's not every day it's not worth it" mentality that I love to employ to keep me motionless.

3. Lose 10 pounds. Yes, it's the inevitable weight loss goal. But considering, um, that I have way more than that that I SHOULD take off, this is a manageable goal. Especially since I GAINED about 18 pounds last year - so dropping 10 only gets me half-way back. But I want something attainable and maintainable, and since I generally suck at doing anything that involves losing and not gaining weight, this is the goal I've set.

2. Spend less money. Uh oh. Getting into bigger goals now. I need to quantify this one - how much counts as less? $5 less a month? $500 less? And I know this goal is more for my husband (the frugal one, thank God) than for me (bargain hunting is almost as thrilling as chocolate), but I want to honor him and be a better model for my kids by reducing my consumption. But I do need to clarify this one.

1. Submit my book for publication. O.K. This IS a big one. Because it terrifies me, and because although I actually finished my first rough draft of my novel yesterday (YAY ME!), I know there's a lot of work to do before my manuscript would be suitable for submission. And then there's being willing to deal with rejection. But I'm gonna do it. Anybody know a good agent?

How about you?