By Tracey Stark
Every year in late December I think long and hard about the 12 months gone by and decide in what ways I can better myself. Then, on January 1 I begin my concerted effort to apply my New Year’s Resolutions. As soon as the hangover wears off, of course.
Within a month, many of my resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Take this year for example. On my very long list is “No.27: Write the great American novel.” As you can imagine, writing this monthly column takes up all of my extra time, making this a bit of a lofty goal. So I can scratch that one off. Then there’s “No. 42: No more beer.” Again, I don’t know what I was thinking.
Anyway, the point I’m getting to is that by living in Korea you get a second chance at the yearly self-improvement game: Lunar New Year. And this year is not just any year, it’s the Year of the Pig. Or, depending on which media outlet you believe, “The Year of the Golden Spicy Barbecued Pig with a side of Baked Beans.”
This year is auspicious in that the Golden Pig only comes along once every 600 years (or 60 years, depending on who you ask) and is believed to bring wealth to all those who are born in this year. That obviously rules out you and me, but if you know a newborn, this may be the year to let the little booger eater pick your lottery numbers for you.
As it’s already March, we’re a few weeks into the new new year, but ending procrastination was not on my old list, nor will it be on my new list. You heard me right, my new list. I suspect that a majority of you have also failed miserably in your resolutions, so follow my lead and start over.
What follows are some examples from my original list and how they have been altered to suit this auspicious year.
Original resolution: “No more beer.”
New resolution: “No more cheap beer.” (There’s no sense in being miserable for a year.)
Original resolution: “Go to the gym every day.”
New resolution: “No more cheap beer.” (See what I did there? I combined two seemingly unrelated resolutions into one, thereby cutting down on the chances for failure.)
Original resolution: “Learn Korean.”
New resolution: “Get a bilingual best friend.” (Korean is a really hard language. I’m serious.)
Original resolution: “Pay off all debts.”
New resolution: “Eat more noodles.” (This allows me to keep my expenses down and drink more expensive beer.)
With just a little thought this can be the first year you have made and kept your resolutions. The Year of the Pig is a year meant for luxury and excess, not a year for privations and hardship. Don’t put yourself in the position I did at the end of December, Year of the Dog, when I thought more about what I had to sacrifice in the year ahead to better myself than what I could do better to make 2007 great.
