Today I Wannabe...Resolved

Re-solved: Adjective   /riˈzälvd/   /-ˈzôlvd/; Firmly determined to do something

Synonyms: 

adjective: determined, resolute, decided, firm, set, purposeful, decisive

 

 It is common practice in our country to make New Year's Resolutions.  I have not done so for many years.  Mainly because I usually don't keep them.  Big surprise, I know!  I think I set my expectations too high, my goals too lofty.  I can never quite keep them, or manage to reach them.

 

This year, I decided to set some resolutions anyway.  I am going to set goals that I think are reachable.  Some short term, some just working on things I need to change. I am resolved to accomplish them!

 

So, Welcome 2011, and here are my New Year's Resolutions:

Spend more time in church and reading the bible.  This is the most important resolution this year.  I find that when I am not reading the bible regularly, and am not in church often, I feel like I am missing something.  My faith is a very important part of my life, and when I neglect it, I fell less than fulfilled.  It's easy to get out of the habit of bible study and church attendance.  There are always other things to do, and getting up on a Sunday morning without pain is a rare occurence.  This year, I am determined to work through my pain and reasons for not attending/reading. 

Be more social.  I have spent the last two years since moving to Colorado dealing with headaches, chronic pain, and depression.  My father died two years ago this month, and it took a huge toll on me.  I am a social creature, but while grieving the loss of my dad, I became a bit of a hermit.  My world got awfully small.  Then, after I started peri-menopause, I began to be unable to sleep at night.  Oh great, as if I didn't have enough to deal with!  Thank goodness for Facebook.  For quite a while I spent many hours in the middle of the night wiling away the darkness on Facebook.  I am very grateful for all of the folks that humored me, and talked with me, played games with me in the early morning hours.

Be a better steward of my finances.  Recently the pastor of my church did a sermon series on being more content, and having enough.  This fell right in line with my desire to live a life of abundance rather than scarcity.  And, interestingly enough, that same church is now offering a class for getting a handle on my finances.  I am very excited about this.  I really hate living paycheck to paycheck, and am looking forward to, if not having more money, managing it better.  I have never really learned how to budget.  I know that's a bit shocking considering that I'm nearing 50. But, I think that's a really good reason to learn it now!  The age of retirement is not far in the future, but at the rate I'm going, I'm going to have to work till I drop because I don't have anything set aside for retirement. So, for the next 13 weeks I'm going to be learning a new skill.  I have always loved learning, so this should be right up my alley!

Procrastinate Less.  One of my worst habits is procrastination.  This has long been one of my weaknesses, and in the last several years dealing with chronic pain has actually made it worse.  This is one of my resolutions that may not actually be completable, but is one that I can make great strides towards being better about.

Work on me.  A good friend gave me the book "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach many years ago.  I have not read it for several years.  It is a book of daily readings about living simply, yet abundantly, and learning to love yourself.  I am determined to make time daily for this book, and for a companion book: Moving On.  This book goes through your house room by room and helps you to clear out, and basically "move on".  I am sure that I have become stuck in rut in many ways, and I would like to change that rut!  The last time I read through Simple Abundance and put many of it's principles in to practice, I became much happier with my life...and then met my husband, after 13 years of being alone.  Hmmmmm. Sounds like there might be something to this!

So, that's the list.  So far in the first 9 days of 2011 I am feeling succcessful.  I went to a scrapbooking crop on the 1st, I went to church on the 2nd, I've been reading my Simple Abundance, I attended the first meeting of the financial seminar, and I have made plans to go to lunch with a friend this week, as well as attending another scrapbooking crop.  I have scrapbooked 5 pages, and am working on an outfit for my second grandchild who is expected the first week in February.

I am feeling pretty good about the list so far, and will update as 2011 progresses!  

 

(Tune in next time to find out if Sally Scrapbooker completes 3 layouts, and what gossip Sunny Socialite hears at lunch on Wednesday!)