Happy New Year! Wow, 2018 ~ so hard to believe how the years fly by. A few years ago I was regularly leading weight loss meetings for a national company. I loved those members, and their stories touched my heart. I knew the struggle I went through to lose the weight myself, so to help others was a blessing. One member came to a meeting one week and handed out these slips of paper: "If I quit now I'll soon be back where I started, and when I started I so desperately wanted to be where I am now".
You can see from this pic that I still have that slip of paper. It has been on my desk, in my journal and currently it is displayed front and center on my refrigerator. Though I'm not currently reminding myself of this because of my weight, it applies to so many life circumstances. The reason I moved it to the fridge is because I need the focus to start the year. 2017 wasn't the 'best' in the books, but it was life. When I look back at this day last year, and compare, things are certainly different. Whether it is career, health, finances, family or relationships all of us can look back and see how things change. All of these areas intertwine and make us who we are.
I'm sure many of you reading this are doing the annual "resolution, and this year I WILL!" routine. I had done that for so many years, but I stopped a few years ago. There is a proven statistic that those who make resolutions break them by January 15. That is how I was about the weight loss. I resolved, over the course of 20 years, to lose the weight. I had good intentions - and in some years I would do okay for awhile, but ultimately I quit. One day, and it wasn't in January, I simply looked in the mirror, talked to my doctor and said enough. It took me 9 months, but I lost 68 lbs. For the most part it has been gone for nearly 9 years. There are still ups and downs, but I didn't resolve, I just did it.
So what is it you are resolving to do? Look at the definition, to resolve is to decide to do something. To be earnest about doing it - but it really says nothing about actually doing it! This all may just be my mind doing a bit of word play, but for me I am focusing on DO not RESOLVE. I'm not going to just decide to accomplish things, I'm going to DO them. I will make a TO DO list for each day, week, month and a long term one for the year. Each month I will adjust that list, I will look honestly at what I have done and what still needs to be done.
So how does a to do list look different than a resolution list?
Think about resolutions you have made in the past:
*I'm going to lose xx amount of weight
*I'm going to organize my closets and home
*I'm going to be a better person
etc, etc, etc
How might those look different? Here is how I approach it:
*I need to go to the grocery story, I will fill my cart with fresh foods, and have my recipes planned to enable us to eat healthier and better
*I will load 3 bags of clothing to donate to the thrift store today
*Today I will call 2 people that I haven't been in touch with in a long time
I know those are subtle differences, but when I write those things as a to do list in my calendar or journal I am much more likely to do them, and cross them off, than I am with a vague resolution. Often when written as a resolution I fail and then get upset because I am failing.
I started a new (and the last) business in January of last year. I have done many at home businesses over the years, but something just resonated with me about this one and I decided to "do". Am I where I expected and wanted to be a year later? No. But I'm certainly not where I was a year ago either. I'm not making a resolution to 'succeed' - I'm making to do lists. It is more than just making a list however, I'm doing the things on those lists. When you work for yourself it is easy to procrastinate, yet that too can be overcome with regular practice and determination.
So, it may all just be word play, but I'm challenging you to make DO lists this year. Don't just resolve to accomplish things, do them. Write them down and cross them off. Did you know that when you write something down your brain actually processes it a different way? If you have never been a list maker, try it. There is great satisfaction is crossing things off and seeing what you have done.
One more thing to challenge you: a blessing jar. I have a Mason jar near my chair (part of what my husband calls my nest) and on that jar is a label that says Blessings, Good News, Surprises. I keep a small stack of slips of paper and as things happen through the year I write them down and put in the jar. I don't look at them again until December 31. This will be the 4th year I have kept my jar. Things like "I helped a new family make their home healthier", "Taught granddaughters how to bake cookies" "Received an unexpected phone call from a friend" "Lost 2 lbs this week" "Received a $500 bonus check" were just some from 2017. Some things are big, some are little - but when something makes me happy or smile I write it down, with the date, and put it in the jar. It really is fun to look back on Dec. 31 and many of the things have been forgotten, but bring a smile once again when you remember the positive things in your life.
resolve
1.
verb (used with object),
to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to dosomething):
do1
1.
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.):
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
2.
to execute (a piece or amount of work):
to do a hauling job.
3.
to accomplish; finish; complete:
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