New Year's Resolutions

Today I thought I would share my New Year's Resolutions.

I'm of the opinion that no one should wait until the new year to improve their life or set goals but it's a great time when most people are reflecting on their lives and endeavoring to improve them. It seems like a great community effort toward progression and even though we all know the statistics on failing new years resolutions I'm of the strong opinion that...

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

- Philippians 4:13

Personally, I LOVE reading other people's new year's goals and intentions, it gives me ideas and inspiration! So without further ado, here are my big three :)

1. Be Calmer in My Daily Speaking

I'm an Aries and we are known for being all fire. I'm a spark, and when I get pushed around, I shout and yes, I even shout at my kids. I can't stand this about myself and I've been working on it for years. I even gave up yelling for Lent once. But I thought this time instead of focusing on "not yelling" I would focus on calm speech which is interesting because it's made me super aware of the words I use to and when they are uplifting and when they are not. I'm still yelling but the first step is to be aware of it and then tone it down as much as you can and I have been able to not yell on many occasions so I'm counting these as small steps toward victory.

2. Be More Aware of Others in Need

I have many ill friends and family right now and their illnesses have brought to my attention how much we all suffer in our own ways and how much we need care and concern from our friends, family and community. I recently sat down and made a list of friends and family who are ill or suffering and jotted down some ideas on how I could better serve them. I hope to keep this list ongoing during the year and set goals to save and visit family and friends who live far away more often. 

3. Provide Myself With More Rest and Reflection Time

I'm a stimulation junky. I usually have the radio on when I'm doing dishes or a Netflix streaming while I knit. Even when I "rest" I grab a book or magazine to entertain myself. I am no good at doing nothing. But it occurred to me recently how much we all need time to sit, reflect and absorb our lives. We can only gain wisdom through processing. 

We already don't have a TV but I cut back our online movie time drastically, by about 70%. We set smaller times spaced out throughout the week for family "movie time." Three days a week for a little bit in the afternoon we will sit down and watch a show together. Even then, I've also drastically cut back on what we watch, focusing on wholesome, modest things that give glory to God. I don't want to pollute my mind, or the minds of my children with too much fluff.

I've cut back on radio time too. Instead of playing Pandora or NPR all day while I go about chores I do so in silence (well, the silence afforded me by my 3 kids!) and I find myself pondering events and situations that needed reflection. 

I also cut back on non-scriptural reading. Reading for fun is crucial and needed but I find myself gravitating toward the "fun" stuff and neglecting my scriptures and Church magazines. With no movies or radio playing my children often ask me to read allowed as they play quietly and we have been sharing so many more Church messages and scriptures with each other lately! It's wonderful!

As far as the Internet goes I quit facebook for technical as well as personal reasons. My laptop recently broke and at first I thought I would naturally replace it (and as soon as possible!) but after reflecting a moment it seemed RIDICULOUS to have two computers in our house! How silly! So I decided simply to share my husbands computer which means I'm online A LOT less often and I have to be very thoughtful and intentional with my time online (because often there is an anxious hubby itchin' for his computer back! :)) I have a lot less information coming into my mind and much more time to process it fully. It's blissful!

Most importantly I have been able to really absorb my life on a deeper level. My mind is clearer and more refreshed, I'm less stressed both mentally and physically and I'm more aware of my own needs as well as the needs of my family.  To pass time that I would have spent engaged in a distracting form of media I often find myself cleaning or spending more time with my children.

What resolutions have you made? How are they working out so far?