This is the third year in a row that I am enjoying my decision to not make any New Year Resolutions. I have learned (the hard way) that resolutions and I don't really mix. There has always been way too much weight and expectation in that one little word, and 99% of the time, when I slacked and failed and gave up on these hard-to-reach, self-imposed goals by the third week of January, I ended up feeling worse about myself than I did to begin with. Growing up, I had somehow learned to put too much emphasis on the the concept of "time"---specifically, that transition between December 31st and January 1st that is measured by the televised event of watching the ball drop. And for so many years, I would go to bed on New Years Eve, naively thinking I would wake up the next morning a completely different person. Pffftttt.
So, no more.
A few years ago I decided to do away with resolutions altogether. And honestly? It was liberating. That's not to say I don't have dreams or goals for each new year, but I've learned to let go of the negative connotation - the deprivation that almost always leads to failure (for me, anyway). And instead of saying "No more...", I've learned to substitute it with "Less This, More That."
One area in my life that I feel Phil and I can always improve upon is our health. For the most part, Phil and I eat fairly healthy; tons of fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains, but I'm not gonna lie. There are nights when I indulge in a juicy cheeseburger and french fries with mayonnaise, and there are definitely nights when I will have a glass or two of wine. Or a martini. I am learning (I haven't totally relinquished my "all or nothing" attitude, but I AM learning) to be less rigid and more flexible. Everything in moderation, right?
But eating healthy isn't the only ingredient for a healthy heart and a healthy life; it goes well beyond just what we put into our bodies and minds. A healthy lifestyle is comprised of a clean diet, exercise, plenty of sleep, time outdoors, communication, relationships, L-O-V-E and being nourished by time spent in His Word. This year, I made a brief list of Less/More:
Less Sugar, More Fruits and Veggies.
Less Caffeine, More Water.
Less Reality TV, More Books.
Less Social Media, More intentional time spent with my husband.
Less Spending, More Saving.
Less Me, More Him.
What is pressing most on my heart these days is spending more time with Jesus; reading and sharing the good news and being a source of love and encouragement to others has moved higher up on my priority list, and it feels good to spend less time thinking about myself and more time thinking about others.
Proverbs 4:23
I'm focusing on less ME all together. More kindness, more giving, more forgiveness, more love toward others, more about Jesus in my life. We're also trying to spend less, because we want to have every single thing in our lives paid off in 7 years. I'm not a big spender, but little things each day add up for me. I'm also writing down what I eat each day, but I'm not depriving myself. I'm just trying to eat less all around. I love your post, it has encouraged me with what I am looking towards. I agree with you, and I feel that resolutions are too weighty and too much pressure, but change is always a good thing. So is growth.
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I can't even remember the last time I did a resolution. I've never felt (in my adult years) that I've needed to make any drastic change to 'better' myself each year, and besides, I like continuing to feel generally good about myself. ;)
ReplyDeleteI 'hope' to be more consistent w/my workouts. Maintaining a 3 times a week style vs my sporatic 1-4 I do. Of course, I could always use growing in my relationship with God more in my days too. No doubt about that.
ooooh I love this Angie! The number one thing people do wrong when setting goals or resolutions is to talk about what they want to stop doing or take away from their life (lose weight, stop smoking...). But the social worker in me always cringes, because successful goals are ones that focus on the positive! Adding some...like more Jesus...is the way to go!
ReplyDeleteMy less, more's are to be less lazy, and more active (workout 3x a week), less me, and more Him (way more consistent time in the Word and prayer), and less self-focused and more intentional with others.
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Great post Angie! This year I really want to spend more time in His word to develope a stronger relationship with Him. As well I want to spend more time in relationship with my daughters. If you want the title of a crazy good book I just read it's called Sun Stands Still by Steven Furtick. It's about what happens when you dare to ask God for the impossible! Really really good!
ReplyDeleteYeah!!! Totally agree. I need to spend more time with my family.
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It's interesting, I always make resolutions and I always break them, but for me keeping them was never really the point. I generally just spend time making them so I can remind myself what's important to me and what I want to aim towards in the following year. If I don't have something to aim for, I usually just end up doing nothing productive at all that year. Lol.
ReplyDeleteYour list is Identical to mine when I repost I will say originally saw on Angies blog! :)
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