Wow! I can't believe that it has been 8 months since my last post! I always considered this a slow blog, but that is really slow! There are some reasons for this. 1. I've been busy with my daughter who is extremely active. 2. I've been trying to keep up with the chores while organizing/purging the junk in my basement. 3. I've been focusing on other noteworthy goals (or resolutions).
Too many times, people create New Year's Resolutions that are too close-ended (I want to drop 20 pounds), or too open-ended (I want to be thin), or unattainable (I want to be as thin as the Victoria's Secret Angels). This leads them to be unhappy when they fall short of the goal or even if they reached the goal (they lost 3 inches off their waist and went down 2 sizes, but the muscles they gained in the process added weight, so they never achieved losing 20 lbs). If someone doesn't know what their goal loos like, they won't know when they achieve it. They will get frustrated and give up. That's why I think of resolutions as goals that I want to focus on this year. I revise the goals list when my goals change and something needs to be added or erased).
I've created some beautiful goals, along with some ideas of what that goal looks like underneath them. Last year I only had three focus areas, but leaving time for writing wasn't one of them. Since writing is therapeutic for me (or at least just gives me some "me time" during the day), I am adding it to my list as well. So, it looks like this year I have six goals I want to focus on this year:
1. Be Healthy (plan & cook healthy meals, exercise 3-6x a week, take yoga class, complete Presidential Challenge...)
2. Be Organized (find places for everything we want to keep, sort boxes in basement, update & prioritize house projects & actually do them, prep before we need to leave the house...)
3. Strengthen Marriage (weekly plan every week, date night 1-2x a month, do something fun together at least once a week, do the exercises in the couples communication skills books...)
4. Strengthen Parenting Skills (stay calm during tantrums, take Love & Logic class & continue to utilize its strategies, pick my battles, but be more strict about bedtime and nap time...)
5. Control our Finances (revise budget, prioritize spending, track receipts, research areas to make spending cuts...)
6. Schedule Me Time Daily (this includes anything fun like yoga, writing, reading, video games & is not typically a To Do item...)
My husband saw my list and told me that he wanted to adopt my goals/resolutions too. Having the same goals and supporting each other throughout the year means we are more likely to see improvements. Wish us luck and good luck writing your own New Year's Goals!
