Ten on Tuesday

Intentions.    A much better word than “resolution.”   Since I’ve never successfully set a list of New Year’s Resolutions and then stuck with them past mid-January (or even the 5th).    So this is my list of ten intentions for this year, in no particular order.

1   Start your day by expressing gratitude for what you have.  When I think about it, even with all the every-day life issues, I have it pretty good.    I have a home, a job and healthy family.

2   Read a book a month.    I use to read.   all. the. time.   Then I allowed life and other things get in the way.   Mostly sleep got in the way because I would get into bed and open a book then be asleep before I turned the first page.   Since I have readjusted my sleep pattern in the past year I think I can do this!

3   Learn something new.  It doesn’t have to be life changing.   Even if it is just a new exercise routine or a crafty skill - or speed reading.

4   Figure out the areas of your life you want to improve and, ask for help.   There are plenty of benefits to having a mentor.   This is a big one and will take many months to organize, but I’m not getting any younger and really, what am I waiting for.

5   Be positive not reactive.   This will be a HUGE challenge for me.  Mostly when it comes to email correspondence because as soon as I see something that pisses me off, my inclination is to fire something right back.    I have spent the past 6 months working on stopping and taking a breath before answering ANY email.    The ones that fire me up, I take longer and tend to send to someone else first for editing.     Now I am going to work on being my own editor because I am a grown up and can do this.

6    I am going to continue working on being less judgmental.    A huge fault of mine.    I have gotten better and am proud of me for finally getting that.    Of course, the way I got better about it was to just step back and shut my mouth.   That has backfired just a tad because in some cases the other person thought I didn’t care or was ignoring them (in their time of need).    Not true, and I would address the issue later, but I felt it better to say nothing until I could be kind.     This has morphed into the damned if I do and damned if I don’t syndrome so this year will be learning to guard my tongue instead of just saying nothing.

7    Find a new job.    It isn’t that I haven’t been looking, but I haven’t been looking outside my current employer (which is pretty big).    I will widen my circle and plan to have something new by fall.

8    Re do my bathrooms.    We’ve been saying for years that the bathrooms are a disaster and need refinishing.    Well now they all are looking like the 50 year olds that they are so I am going to get serious about finding the tile and appliances that I like and just suck it up and get it done.

9    STICK to the new exercise/eating routine I started.    Since I just spent almost $70 on a new program I am going to remind myself every day how much money I wasted by not doing what I’ve paid for.  That should be motivation enough, don’t you think?

10    Start my Christmas knitting by February and be done with Christmas shopping by November 30th.    Every year I want to be done early and every year I get better (i.e., I am not shopping on Christmas Eve) but this year I want to not have to go to the store for anything except milk and bread by December 1st.

 I can do this!