This Is Who I Am! The Ongoing Saga Of New Year’s Resolutions!
As I said last year at this time, I’m not necessarily one for New Year’s resolutions; they just tend to make me feel a little grumpy–sigh!? I do, however, think that it’s as good a time as any to take an informal inventory of what we see as our best attributes and decide how we might use them to help us better reach our personal potential, as well as make a few changes where necessary!
My mom always used to caution me that there was a fine line between exerting too much pressure on ourselves to achieve lofty goals, and not putting forth enough effort to make our best life possible!
This Is Who I Am–Breaking It Down
Feel free to join me in a little self-evaluation…
Personal: I’m a fairly organized person, and I can go with the flow pretty well too–but like so many busy wives and mothers, I could do better at carving out some personal time that speaks to some of my specific interests. Also, at times it’s fine to be a little mindless, but overall, I know I can make better use of my time.
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Replace radio channels with a good book tape on my drive to work.
- Take more “tech” breaks and write personal notes to those I admire!
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Allow more time to look around, be intrigued and learn from others!
Physical: While I don’t necessarily feel the urge to engage in extreme physical feats, I can certainly do better at changing things up every once in a while!
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Call a friend and try a new exercise class together. My work schedule is such that I usually just fit in a workout when I can, but sometimes it’s nice to be inspired by other’s abilities to really push their fitness boundaries!
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Prepare veggie sacks for snacks! I usually watch what I eat, but I’d do better if I had some pre-made, healthy munchies handy!
Relationships: It sounds so cliché, but I truly believe that by not sweating the small stuff as our families grow and start to include in-laws and grandchildren, we can then enjoy the freedom to appreciate the unique characteristics that each brings to our new family mix!
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Enjoy a yearly trip together! For me, this is a priority! It takes time to plan and coordinate, but the ties that bind, so to speak, when we all get together, and the goodness observed in those we love, make it well worth the effort!
- Plan one on one time too! We all have busy schedules, but planning a few fun outings with each of our children and their spouses individually, especially when they live far away, affords a deeper connection that enriches each of us!
Enjoy The Ride!
Perhaps most important is enjoying each day more fully as we make the journey in this life to discover who we really are and what we’re capable of doing!
What I’m learning now is…
Before she moved, my daughter used to have this saying stenciled on a wall as you entered her home, accompanied by some fun pictures of her children. What I’m learning now is that there are so many people in my life, including my children, that help me appreciate who I am right now as I strive to be better each day!
Do you make New Years resolutions? What’s just one thing you’d like to accomplish this year?
–Mary
I love this Mary. I feel like every year I set the same-ish goals, and usually do fairly well until summer hits. This year my main goal is to DO, not just talk about doing. I feel like I am always saying ‘we should do this or that’, ‘we should get together’ etc. Then life’s duties get in the way and we don’t always do what we wish we had done. Well, this year I want to actually do what I think about doing. I call it my ‘Walter Mitty’ goal. Instead of sitting home thinking or dreaming about doing great things, or even simple things, I want to just do them. As Elder Bednar always says, we are here to act, not to be acted upon.
The thing that gives me some peace of mind in all this, just like you mentioned, is that we don’t have to do huge, earth shattering things either…and from my perspective, you DO great, but we’re often our own worst critic! (By the way, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is one of my new favorite movies!)