2015 Resolutions

January 1, 2015 in Craft Room

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One little word that strikes fear in the hearts of so many.

Resolutions

When did that become a bad word?

I guess I’m just a weirdo, and I do things a little differently when it comes to setting resolutions, but I LOVE it. I absolutely love a new year and a fresh start. I love thinking about where I want to be a year from now.

I have been known to set 84 resolutions in one year. Yes, 84. Of course, I wasn’t successful with every single one, but when you set that many you’re bound to get lucky with at least one, right?

I’m not quite that extreme anymore, but seriously, I love it. And I will happily set resolutions every single year of my life.

So here are my resolutions for 2015 (I’m keeping it down to 5):

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1. NO shooting in auto

I have been learning how to use my fancy camera, and it feels like I’ve cracked a secret code. So now it’s time to really get serious. This year I will only shoot in manual mode. I can’t wait to see how much I learn and improve (Surely I will improve, right???) by this time next year.

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2. Hugs, lots and lots of hugs

There are days when I finally collapse into bed and honestly can’t remember if I took time to cuddle with each one of those sweet little people who call me mom. I should never EVER have a day when I don’t hug and love on those precious girls every chance I get.

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3. Date like we’re in college again

Once upon a time Steve and I were young college students who were madly in love. We made time for each other and spent every moment we possibly could together. Then we got married and got real jobs and bills and had kids and a million things pulling us in many directions, often away from each other. We still have all of those grown-up responsibilities, but this year I want to act like those college kids more often, still madly in love and spending every moment we possibly can together. Sometimes that needs to be out on the town, away from those adorable kids of ours.

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4. Hone healthy habits

You know there’s got to be some kind of health goal in this list, but this isn’t about a drastic diet or unreasonable exercise plan. It’s all about habits. And not just physical healthy habits but also mental health, spiritual health, emotional health. There are a bunch of little habits I want to work on, but I’ve learned that when I’m more disciplined in one area, that discipline bleeds into other areas of my life and I do better in other things, too, so it will all work together.

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5. Learn something new

Sometimes I feel like my brain is turning to mush. It is frustrating to remember when you used to be really smart and not feel that way anymore. I was a fabulous student all throughout school, but now I struggle to find simple words to complete basic sentences in day-to-day conversations. It’s about time for me to wake up my brain and really work on learning something new and challenging. I have a few projects in mind that will require me to learn some new skills. It will be hard, and I’m excited to get started.

Do you set resolutions? Tell me what you’re planning to accomplish this year.

If you want some help with your resolutions, here are a few things you might want to check out. I break just about every one of the experts’ rules, but I love the way I set my resolutions.

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This is a great reminder of what is really important and where I need to be spending my time.

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Happy New Year!!!

How to Set Resolutions You Can Keep – It’s Not Too Late!

January 23, 2014 in Coffee Table

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I’m a planner. I love to make lists and set goals. I do it all year long, and I look forward to making my resolutions every January. One year I set 83 New Year’s Resolutions. And do you know what is even crazier? I was successful!

Not perfect. But successful.

It’s still January, so it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon and set some resolutions. Which is a good thing, because I haven’t actually set any yet…

So to help us all catch up before January is over, I want to share my 3 most important tips for success with your New Year’s Resolutions.

monkey ears1. Don’t listen to the “experts.”

Let me set the record straight once and for all: I am not an expert. You might call me a fanatic, but I just love to make goals. So what’s my secret to success? I do what works for me!

Earlier this month I read an article by an *expert* on successful resolutions, and I disagreed with the entire article. So am I going to change my ways because the experts say I should? No way! I have never believed in the idea that there is one right way to do things. I firmly believe there are a million right ways to do something, and it is up to YOU to find your own way.

So if I don’t think you should change what you do because of what an expert says, what is so different about me shelling out all of this advice? I want to show you my way to do it because every time you gather a new idea, it brings you one step closer to finding your own right way.

Find your own right way – no matter what the experts say – and do it.

switch2. There is no magic switch.

I want to share a little secret with you that took me years to learn. When the ball drops on New Years’ Eve, it doesn’t flip a magic switch that makes us suddenly perfect at things we have never been able to do before.

We start out the year totally jazzed and set resolutions that look something like this: “This year I am going to run 10 miles every morning.” or “This year I will take an amazing-award-winning-photo every single day without fail.”

We do great for a few days, but then January 5th rolls around and we just can’t drag ourselves out of bed for that morning run. Or we realize as we’re drifting off to sleep that night that we’re not even sure where the camera is.

Seriously, there is no magic switch.

Instead of expecting perfection to magically happen because the last number on the calendar changed, make your resolution a goal of where you will be by the *end* of the year. Let yourself work up to perfection instead of abandoning the whole idea when you expect too much too soon and end up falling short.

success3. Redefine success.

In that same “expert” article this month, I read that in order to set yourself up for success, you MUST set a specific, measurable goal. So “improve my health” would be a poor goal, while “work out 3 times a week for 45 minutes each session” would be a fabulous goal.

Pure crap.

Seriously.

I know exactly which one of these goals sets me for complete failure.

Here is the key to my success: Set yourself up to succeed. I make up what my own success looks like! In other words, I set my resolutions in a way that is practically impossible to fail.

Of those two example resolutions, I would go with “improve my health.” ANY improvement in my health makes me successful! Whether I improve my diet, lose a dress size, start sleeping better, exercise more, or just feel better, I win!

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The reason I make resolutions each year is to improve myself. Slowly I’m becoming a better person. Some years it seems a lot slower than others, but any little bit gets me toward my ultimate goal of awesomeness.

Are you ready to make some resolutions you can keep? Here are a few of mine this year:

♦ read to my kids more
♦ get ahead of deadlines so I don’t feel like I’m doing everything at the last minute
♦ listen to the *little things* now so they’ll want to tell me the *big things* later
♦ have more dancing days and sing loudly and often
♦ get up and move! exercise doesn’t have to be torture, right?

I’m pretty sure these break every rule the experts advise, but I am going to keep doing things my own way. If you are setting resolutions this year (and it’s not too late), do you know what *your own way* looks like yet?

Have you ever been successful with your resolutions? If you have, what is your secret???

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