This year I want it to be different than all the other years. Yes, I want to make some goals, but I want them to be reasonable and realistic. Not selfish rules that come and go. I want them to better my life and contribute to the happiness of the people around me.
Be patient. Patience has never been my strong suit, to say the least. I want to practice until it becomes second nature. Patience with my children, my husband, and with where I am in life.
Choose to be happy. Happiness is not something that happens to you. I want to choose, every day, to put the heartbreak, sorrows and anxieties behind the curtain and see the things that make me happy.
Have hope. I have to believe that the "hard times" won't always be the "hard times." I want to bring hope and faith into aspects of my life where I struggle. I know change is possible - I can stick to the budget; I can lose that weight; I can raise my kids to be healthy functioning adults.
Try hard things. Stagnant and immovable are two concepts I don't want to be associated with. I want to put effort into doing hard, not just new and different, things. Difficulty is part of everyday life and I want to conquer my anxieties about the challenging and unfamiliar.
Be more active. This one is probably on every resolution list ever created. But this doesn't mean just more exercise. It means I want to stop being lazy when it comes to things I don't want to do. I want to be more actively engaged in my life. To be more present and functioning, even when things are hard.
See the good. The flip side of this one is to forgive the bad also. This goal applies mainly to my children. I'm too quick to judge and assume the fault in them when really it is all in how I respond to them and the situation. I also want to be charitable to my fellow man and assume the good instead of the worst when dealing with others.
Give service. It doesn't have to be a huge project or demonstration of how I can serve others. Maybe something as simple as folding laundry the same day I do it instead of waiting a week so Jason doesn't have to dig through the basket to find a clean shirt.
Read more. This is pretty self-explanatory but I want to branch out and read different things, not just fiction. I want to accumulate knowledge and wisdom from all kinds of sources.
Enjoy the now. "The days are long but the years are short." I want to savor every moment I can in each season of life. This time in my life seems very difficult right now but time passes swiftly and these days of youthful play will be gone in a blink. I might not always appreciate each minute but I want to focus on the now instead of looking ahead to an "easier" time.
I plan on printing the image I made above and hanging it somewhere I will read it every day. These goals are not just about the new year. They are lifestyle changes that I want to make permanent. I know this won't be an easy fix, something to change overnight. And I sometimes resist change. But I have a palpable desire to integrate these resolutions into my life. Maybe that will make all the difference.
