New Year's Evolutions

New Year's resolutions don't do it for me. In years past, I've tried to pick a few things I'd like to work on come January 1st, but my stick-with-it-ness usually only lasts for about two days. Then, I make excuses about why it's ok that I'm not sticking to my resolution & vow to 'start again' the next day. And so the process goes.

I'm tremendously guilty of not taking my own advice when it comes to changing habits. True change takes time. It takes dedication & perserverance. And it takes making mistakes so that you can learn from them. In theory, I'm a firm believer in taking small steps to work towards a goal. In practice? I want to change the habit RIGHT NOW. The End. I know this is a riduculous way of trying to do anything because it just sets you up for failure, yet I seem to repeat the behavior again & again! What's up with that?!

With all of this in mind, the other day, I had a thought. What if, instead of trying to change a random behavior or habit, why don't I think about what I've learned about myself over the past year & build on that instead? Because isn't it always easier to maintain something when you've already got a headstart?

So, after a little more thought, here are the 'evolutions' I've come up with so far...

I can't work for a full year without taking some vacation time & still be able to function normally. I'm going to do a better job of scheduling time off in more regulated intervals.

I need to let up on myself more often. Not everything is an emergency that has to be acted upon immediately!

During my trip to Florida, I realized just how liberating it can be to disregard time. I finally learned how it feels to truly live in the moment. I didn't think about how many vacation days I had left. I didn't wonder about how things were going elsewhere. I just enjoyed every single minute of every single day, whatever that minute brought. As someone who pays close attention to the clock, this was HUGE for me. I'm going to build on enjoying one more minute of each day.

May 2009 bring you great joy, great love & great laughter. And may you enjoy every single minute.

Hopefully,
PortlandGirl