I had a little more time to reflect on my New Year’s Resolutions and I turned them into a theme for 2013 – The Color Purple (as in the book, which is about independence, knowing yourself and standing up for what you believe in) and because lately I had been drawn to the actual color purple and have been wearing it a lot (see the picture of my latest purple sweatshirt and one of my latest knitting projects). I worked on a few words that would go with the theme and detailed them out into actionable and specific items. Just as a reminder, the New Year’s Resolutions were:
Themes:
I fleshed out these resolutions into five specific behaviors or rather, easy to remember words. It’s not quite an acronym or mnemonic, but it works for me.
1. Be Present
I seriously need to let go of perfectionism. It is destructive to my health and psyche. I’m just coming to that realization, slowly but surely. In letting go of control and fear and just being present, I get to enjoy more of what I am doing or accomplishing. I’m trying to take a moment to celebrate those things. I’m trying to pay close attention to my kids and what they are doing and really listening to what they have to say. It’s nice. But it takes a lot of effort for me and is a huge behavioral change!
2. Be Natural
I want to concentrate on using natural products, and eating natural food. I want to minimize processed foods, preservatives, products with names I can’t pronounce. I’ve been following 100 Days of Real Food for the last year and really enjoy it. But in reading about real food, I realized that I need more of it in my life and less processed and preserved food!
3. Be Neutral
One of the topics my Retrofit behavioral coach (more on that later) asked me about is if I used food as a reward or as a punishment. I said I didn’t think so, but as the days have passed, I’ve examined the way I treat food. I hardly ever sit down to eat. I do a lot of eating standing up. I eat a lot on the go. After thinking about this I decided I need to change how I think about food. Food is an energy source and a way to take care of my body while I have it. Nothing else is needed when it comes to food, it is not a positive or negative. It is not a substance to be used as a reward or punishment. Getting over the midwestern need to finish everything on my plate, I need to keep reminding myself that I don’t need to eat food just because it is on my plate. I can save it for later. I also realize that I can plan out my food and meals better (during my commute time, so I don’t feel like it is just two hours a day, down the drain…).
4. Be Current
With several people dying of cancer or other ailments this year and the discovery of one of my best friends who now has breast cancer and another who is dying of liver disease, I have taken to heart that life is too short (or I am getting old; or probably a little of both!). That means I need to be current with my family and friends. I need to speak authentically, encouragingly, and leave nothing unsaid. I need to say what I think is important to the kids; I shouldn’t wait for the perfect moment. I need to stay current with them. I need to make sure they know I love them (I tell them that every time I tuck them in and say good night, but I sometimes wonder if that is enough). Part of what I want to be current with them is in choosing their own goals, what they want out of life, and what they want to learn.
5. Be Frugal
I want to not work so darn crazy hard for the rest of my life. That means I need to plan a little bit better, financially speaking. This year, I will concentrate on using cash instead of my credit card for everything but groceries, gas, and household bills. This one is tough. I have my credit card info memorized and my credit card is set up automatically in sites like Amazon and other sites… hmmm, this one might be the hardest!
Challenge: Please leave me a comment and let me know what you are concentrating on this year (and why).
