Karla's Kolum: Welcome to 2018, a milestone year

It’s donut Friday here at the Northern Wyoming Daily News. One of my coworkers was gracious enough to supply the donuts. I’m sitting here at my desk trying to ignore the chocolate one calling my name.

I don’t usually ignore donuts. OK, I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever ignored a donut that has called my name.

But, I’m trying to create a new me in 2018. You see this year I will have a milestone birthday. It doesn’t matter which one, but as the new year was approaching I got to thinking about my life and if I’m where I want to be when that date rolls around.

My personal life is on track, a wonderful husband, a wonderful home and five wonderful fur children. My professional life is on track as I love my job here at the Daily News, I love working in community journalism. Sure when I started I had dreams of a Pulitzer or writing the great American novel but I’m happy with where I’m at.

However, health-wise, I’m not. So for me, and only me, I decided I’m going to lose some weight this year, I’m going to exercise more, and I’m going to do it my way.

Yes, my way, so don’t give me your Atkins diet plan, your paleo plan, your gluten-free plan, your Weight Watchers plan, or any other plan.

I lost considerable weight before on a portion control plan with exercise and that’s what I’m going to do now.

What’s great about this is I’m doing it for me. I’m not doing it because a doctor told me or because someone else guilt me into or scared me into it. I’m doing it because I want to do it.

I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s radio show the other day driving home and he was talking about setting new year goals, not resolutions. He said goals need to be measurable and attainable. Without even realizing it I was already ahead of the game. I have a specific weight loss in mind to achieve when that milestone birthday hits. That doesn’t mean I won’t continue to lose more, but that’s my goal for now.

So far, while we are only in day five of the new year. I’m doing pretty good. The voice of that donut is getting weaker. I’ve got this.

But I’ve set my goal so that it allows me to have a donut if I want. Today, I want to refrain. You see that’s what is great about doing it for me and doing it my way.

I was talking to my cousin Thursday and mentioned I skipped getting up early to exercise. I said I’m not going to get discouraged or give up if I miss exercising a day or two or if I give in to a craving and have a donut … but not today.

Again, that’s what is great about doing it for me and doing it my way.

Along with getting my body healthy, I’m working on other things in my life, including getting back to reading the Bible. A fellow Thermopolis graduate, having that same milestone birthday this year, issued a challenge. Something he has wanted to do was read the Bible chronologically and he thought why not this year. I agreed, why not.

I’m also working on being a better editor as I feel there is always room for growth professionally, always room to learn something new.

It’s a brand new year. I’m looking forward to a new me at the end of the year.

So whatever resolutions you have made, I hope you’ve made them for you and you alone. I hope you don’t get discouraged and that you have set attainable, measurable goals.