Twenty-Thirteen

Happy New Year everyone.
This isn't going to be anything new or profound or groundbreaking. In fact, I wrote my thoughts down while the Love Bugs played and then I checked my email only to find that Emily over at JDC had written a very similar blog.  Girl after my own heart, I swear. Or maybe I'm after hers?

Anyway, I like to start the new year with resolutions. Yup, I am that type of person. I like daydreaming and planning and the new starts in life.  I like thinking anything is possible.  Run a marathon? Sure! Learn a new language? Why not!  Taking life by the horns and really enjoying the ride.

I heard this morning that about only 7% of people keep their resolutions and accomplish them throughout the year. Wowzers! Seven. Percent. Wow!  And this newscast I heard said that the other 93% are happy if they make it a week.  A week?!?! Come on people... surely we haven't stooped that low that we can only be focused for a... wait, is that the ice cream truck I hear?

Just kidding. But seriously, it is hard to keep resolutions and who has a hard time REMEMBERING their resolutions? It's true.  So here are some thoughts I have and a snippet of my resolutions.

I write down my resolutions in various places and have even placed them over my desk where I can see them.  I've heard of people who make goal posters... laugh all you want but as my friend Julie told me, "3% of people  made a goal poster and the rest are working for those 3%!" ha ha I don't know how factual that is but i like it.  So write them down. Write them where you'll see them every day.

Reward yourself. Find something.  I've heard of giving yourself a dollar for every time you work-out then buying yourself a nice (and smaller) pair of jeans/pants/etc. when you reach $100. I like that one.  Reward yourself with something you want and something you'll go for.

Choose a theme or word to umbrella your resolutions under.  For example, my word for 2012 was "contentment"... I wrote that word everywhere. EVERYWHERE and talked about it several times via my blog. Hubs asked me last night if I felt more content and ya know... I feel like I had really good peaceful content days and then I had days where my world was turned upside down and I couldn't get out of whatever the situation was fast enough.  So contentment could possibly be my word every year.

Here's a couple of my resolutions written down via the blog:
*work-out; bicycling is going to happen more & this crazy video series I'm loving is going to happen consistently.
*blog more. Yup, that's why I'm back. I seriously thought about shutting this blog down and saying goodbye. But for my sanity I need to write. I need to write and I need to process.  I have things to say and instead of worrying about who is reading this and what they'll think (ugh, people-pleasing stinks!) what I'm doing and writing and saying on this blog is for me.
*potty train my Love Bugs.  That's right.  I've already started the Love Bugs saying, "Poop" it's pretty freaking cute when they come over and look at me quizzically saying, "Poopy? Poopy?" and about half of the time they're right, they have just pooped. The other half of the time, they're just saying it.  So we're slowly working on it.  But goodness they're only 17 months.  This goal has a loose (very loose and grace-filled for them and me) deadline of July 13th, their birthday.  I have a friend who potty trained her sweet babe at 18 months and my mom did 2 years but then I have friends who waited till after 2, 3 and even later so it's a grace-filled goal.

So there's a couple of goals.  I also listed them on the right hand side of my blog so I can be reminded of them whenever I am on my blog.  And you can remind me when you see them.

My rewards include: $1 for every work-out accomplished, girls night out with my friend who is setting her own goal and probably a bottle of champagne when the girls are successfully potty trained.  Or maybe I'll throw a party.  For me! In Cabo! Or somewhere awesome! ha ha I'm still working on the rewards ... but its important to have them.

And my theme word for 2013....
is eucharisteo which means "thanksgiving" and was stolen from the book "A Thousand Gifts" which is one of my favorite books.  I read this book about two years ago and I still think about it and ponder a lot of the encouragement/challenges the author Ann Voskamp gives.  One way I am working on this is writing down one thing every day something I am thankful for.  Just one. I hope I haven't lost my heart so much in the critical mess I live in that I can't find at least one thing.  Most of my day, to be honest, is consumed with pity, fears and ungratefulness.

So I decided to focus on the Lord and how truly blessed I am, I wanted to give thanks. Each day. Pause and remember what God has done.

So... are you someone who has resolutions? Do you have a word/theme for 2013?

I'd love to hear from you if you do!