Resolutions

I was not going to share my resolutions, but after talking to a couple of friends, they insisted that I should. So since I live to serve, here I go.

I read somewhere that 44% of Americans make New Year's resolutions. What I couldn't find was statistics on how many actually work on them. I suspect it's a pretty small number. I am someone who actually likes making resolutions and working on them. I did fairly well last year. I admit that I am better some years than others. For me, resolution are a matter of being more aware.

I think I will keep what I wrote last year out as a reminder since it states so well my ultimate life goals. I also read a great book, The Happiness Project, which influenced me too. I don't think I learned anything new in the book. It did give me food for thought and Gretchen Rubin, the author, writes well. Our lives are just in very different places. She has small children and I do not. I've worked through many of the issues she now deals with. I am so impressed how she has used her project to change people's lives.
  
"Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself." --Aisha Elderwyn

This quote is a great one to remind me that "Be Karen" is a good resolution. Which also leads me to "Say what I mean and mean what I say." I actually started doing this toward the middle of last year and it caused amazing changes in some of my relationships with people.

This year I want to work on "Let it go." I truly want to release past pain and move on. Life keeps moving like a stream. I want to be able to flow along with it and let certain things go in order to embrace what may be in store for me in the future. I've held on to people, organizations and things that may have been formerly good too long because I felt I had I had invested so much. No more!

"Do it now!" I've started this one already and it's amazing how this little act has made such a great impact. I don't go to bed with nagging thoughts.

"Do what ought to be done."  I am a great procrastinator. I will do things that I need to be done, just not what I should be doing. 


"Spend out." I was stuck by a friend who found an unopened bottle of expensive perfume sitting on her dead mother's dresser. What am I waiting for! I'm using my beautiful journals. I'm cutting up all those rare and wonderful fabrics I've bought.  There may not be a tomorrow.


I will probably spend the rest of my life cleaning out, simplifying and organizing. I understand that life is about process and I know I enjoy process more than the end product.


Finding a word for the year has been a popular past time. It took me a couple of days and when it finally popped into my mind, I was so happy.  My word is "fearless." 


I think 2011 is going to be an incredible year! I know because I am going to make it so. Happy New Year!