Happy New Year!
What a year 2017 has been! In my personal life, it’s been a
great year. From welcoming multiple friend’s babies to dropping my cousin off
at college, it’s all been blissful. However, there has been some negatives that
I don’t share. From family members in heaven to family health scares, my family
and I have experienced a lot of sadness as everyone does during a year. In my
professional life, there’s been highs and some lows. I think anytime you change
departments or jobs whether it’s in the home or in an office there’s a new way
to handle your career. I’ve heard multiple people say that “we can have it all,
it just might not be all at the same time.” I really have thought about that
and I think it’s something that we should teach one another. We all can
accomplish that, but not all at the same time. There are days we walk out of
work succeeding at our careers and then days we feel like we are just doing the
bare minimal. There are days we feel like perfect girlfriends, wives, and
mothers and then there are days we feel like we did everything wrong. No one
can do everything in their lives perfect at the same time and that is something
I thought about on New Year’s, and accepted that. It really let me set free of
2017. We all have so many different roles in life and for me, I have started to
appreciate that I don’t succeed at every single role every single day. That is
something I pray about and know that my Savior is there when I am weak and He
is strong.
If you’ve ever made your own list of resolutions, you know
what starts happening around February. January starts off so well, but by February
you’ve already started snoozing your alarm, skipping the gym, scrolling through
your phone right when you wake up, and those resolutions you “committed” to
starting to become more of a drag. I’ve been there before, countless years in a
row actually. I get frustrated at my own lack of self-discipline. As I’ve now
written my own list of resolutions for 2018, I want to share a couple of them
with you!
PUTTING THE WORD BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE MORNINGS
I’ve noticed a pattern in the last year of waking up, grabbing my phone, and
scrolling through it first thing in the mornings. I’ve used this “scrolling” mechanism
to help my body wake up, but the Lord knows that when I get done with my
scrolling that my heart is lazy and has a lack of discipline. The first moments
of your day shapes the rest, and we’ve all allowed the things of the world to
be more tempting than spending time in the Word. That’s why I am resolving that
problem in my life, putting the Word back where it needs to go, first!
BE MORE INTENTIONAL
I want to have intention with every aspect of my life; personal and work. When
I have the intention to do something, I want to follow through and not just say
yes to make people happy. Intent is something that everyone has, but we all
have to remind ourselves and remember to do whatever it is we said we would do.
Which is why I want my yeses to lead my life into a more peace, growth with
others, relationships, and happiness. I don’t want my yeses coming from an
attitude of obligation or routine. I also want my intentions with yes to be the
same with no’s. I don’t want to be afraid of using the work no, maybe a trip
isn’t the best timing or being burnt out on being on the go… I want to be able
to say with confident the use of the work no with a healthy and loving
heart/way.
EMBRACING PEOPLE NOT LIKING YOU
One of the hardest things I deal with is when people don’t like me. It’s been
in the making, but I want to try this year to embrace that. We were not put on
this earth to have the same similarities with interests, tastes, personalities,
etc like everyone else. Each person is unique and no one is required to please
everyone. I’ve had to step back and understand that I truly cannot make
everyone happy and I’m doing my best to be okay with that. I have to do what is
best for me, my family, my work life and do it all with kindness. I’ve heard
this from many friends and family that know I struggle with this… you shouldn’t
dull your shine for someone else. Make sure to keep on shining!
BE STRONG AND HEALTHY
Create a list of new healthy recipes with Ryan to try this year (I will share
them on the blog if you are interested). Being healthy doesn’t have to be
boring! There are so many different recipes out there, so step out of your
comfort zone and try new healthy ways to cook. When we run out of healthy foods
and want a snack we resort to bad decisions. Prioritizing grocery shopping is key
with snacks. We chop up cucumbers and apples to have on hand for something easy
to grab. Make sure to hold one another responsible for working out or being
active 3-4 times a week. When you both can share fitness goals it helps when
you are tired not wanting to workout. We can support one another which is
invaluable!
MAKE TIME FOR EACH OTHER
Something I want to make sure me and Ryan do is make time for each other. I’m
such a homebody and date nights on the couch seem so tempting, I want to make
sure Ryan and I continue to go on dates (it’s the best for us – I’ve read a
book recently about “us” rather than “I”). Alone time and being out of the
house is so good for a relationship. Not sitting in front of the TV or starring
at your phone is something we both struggle with. So getting out of the house
helps get out of the routine of things and who doesn’t like trying new
restaurants!
Do you set goals for
the New Year? I would love to hear all about them!
