I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. If you want to improve yourself, there is no time like the present, that's what I say. Anyway, yesterday I read an article in my Glamour magazine called "Change Your Life in 31 Days." It said that people have these failed attempts at self improvement, and the key to making or breaking a new habit is to commit to a small adjustment for 30 days. Then the article briefly chronicles about a dozen women, the habits they created, and the benefits reaped in 30 days. One women commits to getting in shape by doing push ups every day, another gave up her Starbucks addiction, another stopped reading celebrity gossips sites, etc.
So, I started to think about what habit I would like to make or break. I already read a lot, I read the newspaper, I'm not a TV junkie, and I work out fairly regularly. I considered abstaining from alcohol, but with the holidays and a wedding in the next month, I quickly vetoed that. I settled on crossword puzzles. I used to do crossword puzzles off and on, and it is a habit that I wish I was able to maintain. I am aware of all the benefits of activities that challenge the mind (as if grad school isn't enough, right?), and many studies extol the virtues of crossword puzzles. They help ward off the effects of aging and dementia, and they sharpen the mind.
I began my crossword puzzle quest today. I had forgotten how difficult these can be. I scanned all the clues, and I didn't know the answer to any of them. I considered giving up, but then I remembered that nothing is easy the first time and you can't reap any benefits without challenging yourself. After 15 minutes, I gave up. I knew the answers to only 8 of the clues, and I'm not even sure if some of them were correct.
So, stay tuned. I'm not going to give you a daily play by play, but I'll let you know how the crossword puzzle mission is going. And maybe I'll abstain from alcohol next month.
So, I started to think about what habit I would like to make or break. I already read a lot, I read the newspaper, I'm not a TV junkie, and I work out fairly regularly. I considered abstaining from alcohol, but with the holidays and a wedding in the next month, I quickly vetoed that. I settled on crossword puzzles. I used to do crossword puzzles off and on, and it is a habit that I wish I was able to maintain. I am aware of all the benefits of activities that challenge the mind (as if grad school isn't enough, right?), and many studies extol the virtues of crossword puzzles. They help ward off the effects of aging and dementia, and they sharpen the mind.
I began my crossword puzzle quest today. I had forgotten how difficult these can be. I scanned all the clues, and I didn't know the answer to any of them. I considered giving up, but then I remembered that nothing is easy the first time and you can't reap any benefits without challenging yourself. After 15 minutes, I gave up. I knew the answers to only 8 of the clues, and I'm not even sure if some of them were correct.
So, stay tuned. I'm not going to give you a daily play by play, but I'll let you know how the crossword puzzle mission is going. And maybe I'll abstain from alcohol next month.
1 comment:
Most crossword puzzles apparently requiring that one be Baby Boom generation New Yorker with an above-average affinity for show tunes, I went the sudoku & kakuro route.
Post a Comment