Instagram Message: To give was one of her 2015 resolutions and somehow I know she will keep on giving. Thinking of your 2016 resolution?
Making a New Year’s Resolution is serious business for me. For the past five years I have cut down making many resolutions to just one resolution per year. I found that making a handful of resolutions, means not getting any of them accomplished. In other words, the odds of me succeeding when I have one resolution are so much better. Gee, imagine that.
So as "Kumbaya" as it sounds, choosing one-worded resolutions like in 2010 - Play, 2011 - Joy, 2012 - Time (management), 2013 - Create and 2014 - Gentle, all of these resolutions really meant that I had to work hard on the issues relating to that one word.
When I commit to one issue at a time, it’s amazing that years later, I can look back to see how far I have come. I may not accomplish a goal within a year’s timeframe but eventually it comes together and that’s all that matters. One gluten-free food at a time. One non-chocolate dessert at a time. Decorating my house one room at a time.
The key word is one. One resolution at a time. One step at a time. One concept at a time. One issue at a time. One child at a time. One piece of furniture at a time. One career move at a time.
The more I simplify the resolution, the more profound it becomes.
Last year my daughter picked a New Year’s Eve eve party as her theme. Her birthday is on December 30th so it is fitting that its the eve of the “Eve”. It was great to hear her girlfriends discuss what they resolved to do in the 2015 year. These seven and eight year old girls were profound in their simple yet meaningful resolutions. I giggled then but now as I look back at the pictures that captured the moment I think: yeah, I want to do that too!
Like mother, like daughter, she can't pick just one resolution so she picks three. But this one is funny because she already reads non-stop!
Don’t you wish you were a kid again when your resolutions were things like: Read. Eat more veggies. Go to more new places. Swim more. Focus on fun. Be a better artist. Give. Be a better Irish dancer. Eat less candy. Write neater. As childish as they may sound, they are all things I need to work on. Irish dancing not so much but focus on fun - hell yes!
Now she's talking! I want to have fun too. Let's focus on it.
Imagine this: 2016 - Thoughtful. One word. One resolution. That is all you have to commit to. Is it hard? No, because we are all thoughtful, we just need to be reminded to show it. Sign up for this blog to come in your mailbox automatically because I can help you with this resolution. Or if you are reading this and someone else comes to mind, pass me along.
One.Simple. Thoughtful Pinch.
Pinches,
Barb