by Every year, people I know make resolutions to diet, go to the gym, and save money. I always say that I don’t make new year resolutions, but it’s easy to get caught up in the swing of everyone else’s positive momentum — even if it only lasts for a couple of weeks! I sit around and hear about all the positive things my friends and family intend to accomplish over the course of the next year, and I can always think of a few things to add to my own mental list.
My list isn’t any different from the majority of the population — I could handle eating better, getting more exercise, being more organized, cleaning out my closets, saving money… all of those standard resolutions.
I rarely tell anyone about my ‘resolutions’, which could be part of the reason I fail at them. I’ve never really set myself up for success in any of those ventures… It’s not really a resolution so much as it is a fleeting thought that “Hey, I should work on that too!”
This year, I read about the one word challenge from a few different bloggers that I follow. if you don’t know what it is — you can find out off the pretty button below:
Immediately, I wanted my one word to be “ME”. I don’t spend a lot of time actually taking care of me, and I need to focus on that…
But I wanted something that I could make a collage around, or get a bracelet or necklace as a reminder. It seemed a little off to hang artwork that said “ME” on my wall… Someone suggested I go with “Moi” and go with a Miss Piggy theme, and I thought about it for a second, but Miss Piggy didn’t really convey what I was trying to accomplish!
I thought about it for a while, and while I was stumped I made a list of all the things I wish I could do better:
- Plan my meals
- Exercise
- Spend more quality time with my family
- Have more time with friends
- Spend less time on the computer
- Get more sleep
- Read More
- Pamper myself
- Stick to a budget / Save Money
- Clean out every corner of the house
- Have a system to keep things organized
- Etc…
I kept looking at the list I made and kept coming back to asking myself ‘why’. Why do I want to do these things? Most of it is just wanting better for not only myself, but for my family. My purpose in life is largely to be a good parent and set a good example for Averie. Are the choices I’m making really helping me fulfill that purpose?
Can I fix all that in one year? Ha! Doubtful. I’m not even sure that there are enough hours in the day to carry out all of that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t at least regroup and try to remember why I’m here and focus on my purpose. Before I spend an evening holed up on the couch cuddling with my laptop, I need to remember that my purpose in life isn’t to cuddle my computer. (I mean, I love all my blogging friends, but no less!)
I’m going to make a point to remember my purpose more often this year and try to make decisions keeping that purpose in mind.
So I started with shopping (naturally!)
Although I buy things for myself all the time (consequently breaking my budget), it’s rarely with purpose. Today I ordered something for myself that has a meaning — and a purpose. And it fit in my budget. I’m excited for it to come in the mail! I ordered a bracelet from The Rusted Chain stamped with a quote I felt was fitting to help me stay on track. I’ll share once I have it in with a bit of an update on how things are going, but aren’t they pretty?
