It's that time of year.
Once again we are at the pinnacle of the year, Everything we have done in the past 12 months will be measured, analyzed, judge and assessed as to our productivity or success.
Some of us will feel as if we have accomplished much but more often than not, all of us feel that somewhere in our lives we could have been more productive, more proficient at the tasks we set at the beginning of the year. Armed with this judgment of ourselves, we start once again with INTENTION.. called "treadmill of judgment" to make the next year even more successful than the one we just "failed" at.
My question is, is that a healthy way to live? I don't know.
For many years I used to make New Years' resolutions. Half way through the year - no. let me be honest, maybe by the end of January - I'd have forgotten half of them. I might somewhere throughout the year, decide to pick up the list or be "damned" with the rest of that list. We get caught up in the demands of daily life and our focus keeps shifting. Sometimes we are faced with things that we had no expectations of, being added to our list.
We shift focus to cope. We live in a fear based, materialistic world and our focus gets jolted by what others are doing more than what we do for ourselves. We then worry when things are not going our way, rather than learn a tool to cause us to shift physically, mentally and spiritually.
As I get older, I feel less needy for annual New Years' resolutions.
Let me tell you what I did.
I decided to make that shift a long time ago. No more New Year lists. The way I did with the scale and weight thing. I made a decision one day, that I was too pre-occupied thinking about my weight, what I weighed on the scale, what I was eating, how much calories this piece of cheesecake had, you know all the usual things that comes with the yo-yo diet. I was tired of going up and down "like trials and tribulations" with my weight.
When my scales broke, I threw them out and decided to incorporate REGULAR exercise into my life. I didn't care what the scale said, I now cared what my jeans/skirt/shirt etc said. I found the size, I thought I would be most comfortable at and used that as my measuring stick when I needed to check my progress.
Of course, it was not always, easy, but it was not meant to be. It was meant to be a lifestyle. Working out/ exercise was not going to be a task, it was going to be a necessity like breathing. Diet was a no, no. I wanted great health and a wonderful lifestyle.
In order to do this I had to make several shifts. These were all personal and worked for me. I gave up red meat, then white meat, then soda's but not red wine. I drank more water, green teas and juiced more. Not obligatory daily juicing but when I felt like it.
Although I gave up white wine. I only drank other alcohol on a beach or at a special event. I was not a big drinker anyway, so that wasn't really an effort. Now red wine is almost obligatory with dinner.. (my choice over juice to have one glass).
I chose to cook more. When I was working outside the home, I took the time to pack a lunch, snacks and other stuff I knew I would need when I got a craving. Of course, in order to eat like this, you have to shop more. You end up saving more too.
My family are carnivores but I gave them an option, no meat or only white meat. They fell into the white meat (chicken/turkey etc ) camp with ease. When they were out, they were free to make their own choices. I was conscious that I made a personal choice to give up meat, it was not meant to become a burden on them.
All of the above really say, is that we must not live seasonally but be faithful to life. Be cognizant that we have a journey and to do the best for you. What works for me might not work for you. Find your center, your balance and work with that. Everything we do is like a muscle. If we stopped using a muscle it atrophies, use it again daily and it responds almost immediately.
Do things that you can work with. You already know what is not working. You see it everyday. But, don't start something and quit after 6 weeks or even 6 months. Take your time and keep going. That is a muscle you are building.
I began working on line last year, I had no idea how to build a website, how to put pictures and words together (now my Pearls of Wisdom page), I didn't even know how to Skype and share pages.
But you know what?
I am still here, trying. Sometimes I am challenged but I am amazed that I can make money on line. There are so many tools (in fact, too many to overwhelm you) that you have be cautious not to get them all ( I did and then stacked them up in a little folder called "STUFF TO LEARN".. LOL) so word to the wise, go slow.
I want to wish you all the most wonderful and prosperous life. Live well, laugh often, cry too (if necessary, God gave us tears so use them when you need them) but honor the journey. I told my son once, in life "you are either in a problem, getting out of a problem or just getting ready to meet a problem". The difference in each stage is "YOU". How well you handle the "ins" and "out" of life is how well you will manage the journey.