I don't know if it's the fear of failure, or just the fact that I don't want to set all of these lofty goals for myself and then feel the pressure to achieve them. Either way, I typically don't do resolutions.
However, my hubs always sets new goals for himself every year, and then typically asks me, "So have you written down your goals for the new year yet?" This is typically when I either get very quiet and make up some excuse to run out of the room... or actually face the fact that setting goals is an important part of life.
Having a goal (or goals) is healthy. It gives you some focus on areas where you may feel you're dragging a bit, or would like to improve.
I think resolutions are more like big sweeping changes that are generally so hard to achieve, people end up giving up on them by March. Say for example, the ever-popular, "I'm going to work out 5 days a week and lose those stubborn 10 lbs."
Personally, I think that's just setting yourself up for failure.
However, if you set a goal to eat out only 3 times a week versus 5 times a week, you could seriously cut some calories and make a dent in that weight loss goal.
All of that to be said, that my goal for 2015 is: "To wake up earlier."
Seems kinda general, I know. But it's a start.
Trust me when I say that I am not happy about this goal.
I do not like anything about waking up early. Especially any earlier than I already am.
Typically, my children are awake by 6:30 a.m. most days. Which means, if I want to be up before them, I have to have my feet on the floor no later than 6 a.m.
There are several reasons that I want to wake up earlier, but the two main ones are these:
1. So that I can spend quiet time with God
2. So that I am not a cranky monster when my kids first wake up
For years I have struggled to find a good time to carve out my quiet time with God.
I've tried mornings, I've tried the kids' naptimes, I've tried before bed, and I've failed miserably at all of them.
So, I'm taking the literal biblical approach this year and I'm giving God the first moments of my day. Starting at 6 a.m.
My alarm goes off at 5:45 and I snooze once. I typically doze off and on for the next 9 minutes until the alarm goes off again. And this is when I get out of bed.
I shuffle through the bedroom to the bathroom, then out to the kitchen where I immediately turn on the Keurig and start brewing a cup of coffee (gotta love the instantaneous cup of coffee at that hour!).
I spend the next 20 minutes or so reading a devotional, then looking up the bible verse and then reflecting on it in my journal.
I'm only 5 days in at this point (I started this routine the day the kids started back at school), but so far, it's been great.
I'm not tired in the afternoons. I'm more alert and focused and in the morning, and best of all, I'm not a cranky monster when my kids roll out of bed (see goal #2).
Last fall, I began hitting the snooze button a few too many times. By the time I actually got out into the kitchen, the kids were either already up, or I needed to wake up Payton for school.
Then the hustle and bustle of the morning would start and I would feel totally overwhelmed since I just barely woke up myself!
Packing lunches, making breakfast, answering my toddler's millionth question of the morning... it was too much for my foggy, non-caffeinated brain to handle. And typically, I would end up snapping at someone. And that's not who I want to be.
Now that I'm getting up 30 minutes earlier, I'm still not a perky, super smiley, chipper person; but I am awake, and alert, and ready to face the day.
Things have been running a lot smoother around here in the morning, and I'm happy about that.
So, that's it. My goal is to wake up earlier this year.
I know it won't happen every single day. Maybe I'll sleep in a bit on the weekends. But for now, this goal is working for this mama. And that makes everyone a little happier around here.
I'd love to hear your resolutions or goals that you've set for 2015. Please leave me a comment if you'd like to share!
Wishing you all the best in whatever endeavors you're accomplishing this year.
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