Happy New Year 2010! I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and festive evening full of fun and laughter, among good friends and family.

The Mrs. and I were pretty low-key last night. It was just the two of us with no real plans for the evening. We enjoyed some TV together (a bit of Dexter season 3 on DVD) and took it easy. The fabulous Mrs. H. wasn’t feeling so fabulous (due to a visit from her monthly friend) and fell asleep well before midnight. I woke her with a gentle kiss and wished her a happy new year just before calling it a night and joining her.

Following the long standing tradition, many people will make new year’s resolutions with good intent, only to give up after a short period of trying. There are some very important resolutions I made this year. I pray that I have the strength to follow through with them.

The New Year’s cliche
One of the more popular new year’s resolutions is to go on a diet, loose weight, exercise more, etc. – call it the standard “get-fit-and-trim resolution”. It often doesn’t last as people quickly discover how time consuming and unpleasant getting in shape really is, not to mention the level of self-discipline required to maintain a healthy diet AND stick with the exercise regimen.

Staying fit and trim is a life-long commitment and there’s nothing fun or enjoyable about the process itself. The outcome is, of course, looking more attractive, feeling better and living healthier. I’ve always been able to stick with it, whereas so many others fail after what seems like only a halfhearted attempt. The main excuse is always the same: “I don’t have enough time.” Whether it be working long hours, raising kids, spending too much time watching TV, social networking and grazing on junk food while sitting on one’s ass, it always comes down to “lack of time”.

Never enough time
Even though I don’t buy that excuse from many people who toss it out there ever so quickly, I do fully understand the difficulties of living within tough-to-manage time constraints. That’s the story of my life – always so much to do, and never enough time. Even so, I always take the time to maintain physical fitness, often at the cost of letting other things slide.

Personal failures
Exercising daily is not something I enjoy by any means, but I keep at it. So many others do not, offering excuses to justify their failures. Fact is, there are many areas in which I fail miserably while others seem to have little problem, and that is where I find myself offering excuses. Of course, my excuses aren’t just excuses. They’re very real obstacles… aren’t they? That’s certainly how it feels. Perhaps this is how it feels to those who attempt dieting and getting in shape only to throw in the towel so quickly. A lot of people are, simply put: just plain lazy. I also think there are many who try very hard, only to run into what seems like serious and unbeatable obstacles in their lives.

A growing problem in my life
It is a little known fact that I am a foul-mouthed, quick-tempered hot-head in person. More accurately, my man-side, Gabe, is. As Gabrielle, I’m somehow more balanced and not as moody. Most of my time is spent in guy-mode however, and I have some serious anger management issues that have built up considerably in recent months. My out-of-control temper is mostly the result of misplaced anger. The real problem is stress caused by numerous factors in my life, and, dare I say – my lack of time and resources to deal with them.

My resolutions

• Manage my limited time more effectively. There’s never enough time to do it all, but with better time management and self-discipline, it will be possible to accomplish more in the time I do have and reduce the number of stressors that fuel my anger.
• Be mindful of angry feelings and hold my tongue before a stream of senseless profanities come out of my mouth at high decibels. It feels good to let it all out like that, but it has been causing serious trouble in my marriage and professional life and needs to stop.
• Focus and fully apply myself to the task at hand, rather than dwell on the problems I am powerless to change (at that particular moment). Deal with one task/problem at a time. Take things one day at a time.

What are your resolutions, if any?
Cliche or not, what are your new year’s resolutions? Have you chosen to make some changes and personal improvements? Have you abandon the whole “new year’s resolution” thing like many others? Please take a few minutes to share what you’ve got going on… and wish me luck on taming my own demons.

If you don’t have any resolutions to share, I’d still like to hear how you spent your new year’s eve, if you don’t mind sharing.