New Year, new...???

...almost a new me? Every year people set out to change themselves with new years resolutions. We set new levels that we want to achieve in the next year. Bad habits, new habits, goals- they are all things we want to change about ourselves. So the question then becomes... why do we do it? Are our resolutions due to something we truly want or is it something that we have been groomed to "want"?
For example, how many people want to lose 10 lbs this year? How many set that same resolution every year? I know I have. But why do I want to lose the 10 lbs? For me this year I realized it's less about the weight and more about other things I want from the loss. I want to do more hiking and I want to be able to do the active things that my boyfriend wants to do. So really, it has nothing to do with the weight. More accurately, I want to be more healthy this year. So then why have I made the resolution to lose weight?
Maybe it has somethign to do with what the media keeps telling me... "Lose that 10lbs of Holiday weight" "Bikini ready in just 6 weeks" and "This year keep those resolutions with this... (fill in the blank with the "great" product here)". Well damn, apparently I am good for nothing if I don't get on this train. Sign me up for it all!
... IT'S GOING TO COST ME HOW MUCH TO CHANGE?!
Well eff that... Maybe it's time to focus more on liking who I am rather than spending all this time changing for other people. I am not saying that I am perfect and do not have things that need to be changed. I am saying that I need to make those changes because I WANT them, not because I am suppose to be a certain way.
Really bringing me back to why I want to "lose weight" this year. I don't, well not really. I want to be able to do things that I used to do. And if as a result to getting prepared (re:in shape) to do those activities I lose weight, then bonus.
My New Years Resolution for 2011 is:
I refuse to let other people tell me what I need to do to be happy. I resolve to find that out for my self!
xoxo - S