For reasons I'm still unsure of, January tumbled in with gusto this year. No doldrums here. On January one I sat up late in bed, my mind astir with possibility and desire to act more like the boss over my life, to leave less to default.
I read from a beloved little book of inspiration:
"and the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
- anais nin
I'd like to blossom, I thought. I scribbled a few thoughts in the notebook beside my bed.
*record ideas and inspiration
*write more. read less.
*learn about things that matter and people who inspire. (Totally smitten with this series of interviews, for starters)
*don't ignore your creativity
*your time is precious. don't waste it
I don't know what's going to sprout, but when it's ready to push up and poke out, I don't want a gaggle of excuses and mental clutter in the way. I guess you'd call these my New Year's resolutions. In some ways I think these are just preliminary things that I need to work on to let bigger, more important things happen. If that makes sense? For now, these feel like good priorities. I'm still working out some smaller, more measureable sub goals to track progress and help me stay the course.
It's so inspiring to hear about other peoples' goals and plans; I'd love to know what you're thinking about and working towards. Are you a Jan 1st resolution maker? What are your goals this year? How do you plan to break them down into achievable bits and avoid February abandonment? Where do your desires for change stem from? Make no mistake about it, we're not just posing these questions rhetorically, we really want to know what's on your mind for 2011.
************** YNAB giveaway open thru the weekend! Enter below. *****************
12 comments:
I'm just looking to simplify in 2011, largely in an effort to avoid the first-time mom craziness that I often hear about (we've got a baby coming in May). This involves some clear-cut goals, but for the most part it's a state of mind I want to embrace. I'm cleaning out closets and cupboards to get rid of things we don't wear/use/need/want. I'm trying out meal recipes that are easy and hearty and delicious. I'm whittling down the list of things we'll need when the baby comes. (Is a baby monitor really necessary in our tiny house? I think not.) Less chaos, more organization. Less clutter, more purposeful living.
Hopefully all this paring down will leave more space for the important stuff, like enjoying my family, creating pretty things, and communing with God.
It's so hard not to get discouraged about failing to reach goals, as happens time and time again--at least for me. However, I do have goals I'm working toward & whether or not I'm 100% on every little thing doesn't really matter. What matters is that I make progress--that I become better today than I was yesterday. Too much micro-managing of goals gets in my way of LIVING.
That's why I choose to keep it simple. This year I will live to:
Find the Good--Forgive the Rest
Seeing that phrase every morning on my nightstand sets the tone for my day, and I make better choices in my thoughts, actions, and communication because I'm living on purpose.
May we all be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today.
Within the last month I'd be feeling a lack of...something. Purpose maybe. Living a very reactive lifestyle. So I'm wanting to be a little more proactive about our lives. And with that comes some goals(my husband gets overwhelmed whenever I say: And i want to do this...) and who knows how well it will go or not, but I like the fact that I'm wanting to be better even if I don't achieve it all. some of them: Date my husband weekly, even if its just playing a game after the boys go to bed. We have decided we can only order pizza once a month(that was our fallback probably once a week). other things like budgeting and exercise. My job has a wellness program that I'm going to be more active in. I could go on. I've heard a lot of other people have their theories and plans, but sometimes its just nice to say: I'd like to do this this year and be a little stronger in these areas.
I still haven't sat down and made my goals for the year. I have been thinking a little about them though. I'd like to simplify... reducing the clutter in my house and my life. I'd also like to enjoy everything a little more. Maybe it was just the last month or so but I feel like I haven't been enjoying my kids, callings, life in general, etc. as much as I can/should. I need to take time for those little moments--which goes back to getting rid of the clutter in my life.
For 2011 I want to focus on gratitude. I feel I spend far too much time worrying about what I don't have rather than enjoying what I do.
I too am still contemplating specific goals. I have some in my head and need to take a moment to write them down.
One overarching goal of mine this year is to serve. I have a little red bell hanging from the garage door opener on my car visor. It is my reminder to look for those who need me. It also reminds me of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's song, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." He wrote that song in such deep despair and yet still found joy and hope. It is inspirational to me.
Oh...one more thing I've been thinking about: I want to be more politically aware. I am a total political ignoramus. It's embarrassing and for the most part inexcusable. I think the easiest way to make that goal realized is to have an email sent to me from Fox news or whatever of the top headlines in the state, country, and world. I know it's not much but it's something I can easily commit to.
Any one know of an email I can sign up for that would do that?
@Joan-- http://www.foxnews.com/
Scroll to the bottom of the screen--right-hand side says "Connect with Fox." Sign up for whatever news you want sent to you.
Thanks Jonesy :)
I SO love your posts...so inspiring. I also get a lot out of that anais nin quote. Haven't read it in a while so your post has perfect timing! :)
Ok-Ok, I don't usually pass these along, but I hate January so I thought it'd be fun to "play" and help spread some blog-love! In one of my recent posts, I nominated you for "The Stylish Blogger Award" which asks bloggers to post links to some of their favorite most recently discovered blogs, and YOU came to mind! :)
If you'd like, you can write a post giving 7 facts about yourself and including the links to some of YOUR new favorites! Then leave them a comment which "passes" the award along! So, dust off your mantle and find a place for this shiny, new award! Love, H.
this post is so inspiring! meaningful goals are so much easier to keep than say...lose weight, i think. the goals you have there are really getting down to the deeper stuff of what you want to change. love it.
i'm working on being patient and nice. and...these:
http://forrestandabbie.blogspot.com/2011/01/ringing-in-new-year-la-blogga.html
yay for a new year of trying to improve ourselves!!
Yes, I'm a resolution maker. It gets addicting come January, but I always welcome it. Examining one's life is always a good thing. I try to stay motivated by focusing on a single thought or mantra that encompasses all my goals.
Post a Comment