Girl on Fire: Rememberlutions instead of resolutions

[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, December 31, 2014]

[Note: This column was meant for January 1, 2015, but since New Year’s Day fell on a Thursday, my usual publish date, it ran a day early.]

Tomorrow it will be a new year, so I spent several days thinking of things to add to my New Year’s resolutions list.

Then, I found an article written about an interesting variation to resolutions. The writer said to create a rememberlutions jar in place of a resolutions list.

A rememberlutions jar is just that, a jar, where you house slips of paper on which are written things you accomplished throughout the year.

This jumped out at me more than a simple, run-of-the-mill list of things to change or be better at. I think I would prefer writing my yearly accomplishments, be they personal, fitness related or silly, rather than setting several general goals and risking the possibility of failing.

The article, which I found on the website BuzzFeed, boasts pictures of people decorating their rememberlutions jars with sequins, pictures and puff paint, then writing down accomplishments on slips of paper, folding them up and putting them inside the jar.

Immediately, I began planning where to find a single glass jar, how to decorate it and where to put it. My ideas took off then, and I began imagining doing this year after year, and keeping the jars and accomplishments in places where I could always see them if I ever need a pick-me-up.

After getting off work Monday, I ran to Walmart and picked up a glass vase of sorts and gold scrapbooking stickers. Shawna Creveling and I spent a few hours Tuesday night sipping wine while she folded paper for wedding favors and I decorated my 2015 rememberlutions jar.

Looking back, I remember the times I felt amazing. For example, when I succeeded in completing all the obstacles of the Warrior Dash this year with flying colors, or when I climbed more than 20 flights of stairs in bunker gear and air pack at the Fight for Air Climb.

I love this idea because, not just because it shows what is most important to me, I can come back to the jar at the end of 2015 and look through all my slips of paper and remember what happened each time that made it that important to me. Reliving things that make you feel amazing is one of the best things, I think, to continue feeling amazing.