My Pocketful of Thoughts

I’m sitting in my bedroom and do you know what I hear?  The sounds of a gentle breeze coming from the heating vent and the melodic flickering of the candle that sits beside me, provide the perfect backdrop for this entry.  While I am cherishing this partial moment of silence, I have to secretly admit that I miss the noise.  I survived a week of screaming children, non stop fights, back talk, hugs, kisses, video game playing, shopping, eating, cooking and I can’t wait to do it again.  Now of course these are all thoughts in retrospect as yesterday I was counting down the minutes until they were all gone, and now I find myself wondering what my resolutions should be for this year.

2010’s New Year Resolutions can officially start on Monday as this year’s list seems to be a long one…

1. Spend more time with myself…I know you’re like what?!  I know for certain that one of the things driving me crazy this week was that I was responsible for other people aside from myself and at the end of the day I was tallying up all the things I didn’t do for myself and everything I did for them…if you don’t make time for yourself then you might start resenting the people who take up all your time and that can only bring misery to you…
2. Get to a healthy weight…I’m sure this is on everyone’s list, so I’ll be one of the many people at the gym on Monday morning.
3. Shop LESS, If there were a Shopaholic Anonymous meeting that I could find, I’d be there…Hi, I’m a Shopaholic and I admit I have a problem… In 2009 I spent quite a pretty penny on things that I had to have in that very moment of wanting it and so this year the goal is to cut back on shopping.
4. Well you get the point, this list can go on forever…and I’ll talk about the others in blogs to come…

Now the thing to remember about New Year’s Resolutions is that if you do not have a clear picture of what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it then all you’re doing is WISHFUL THINKING!

First, start off with one thing on the list with a clear concise picture in your head of how you want it to turn out.  I’ll use my #3 on the list of shopping LESS for an example.  Today is my second day of not shopping at all, so YAY me. 

Next, take that goal and break it down.  Like everything in life, our goals should be approached one day at a time, but with the picture of our transformation looming in the background.  What happens with most of us every year is that we keep that goal in front of us, of how we’d like to be or what we’d like to do and day one goes by, we’re pumped up, its a new year, nothing can get in our way…and Point A of where you are now to Point B, where you want to be, seems like this outrageous quest.  Day two rolls around, you still feel strong willed but where you are today in comparison to where you were yesterday seems like no progress at all.  Day 7 strolls in and you’ve already waved the white flag in defeat.  So take that big goal and break it down into smaller goals that will lead you to that final goal. 

To make smaller goals you have to understand what your goal means.  For me shopping less is to aim for spending less money on things I really DO NOT need.  On top of the fact that I have debts to pay off still does not help my financial situation at ALL and with the current state of our nation and the jobs disappearing out there, its not at all wise for me to be spending my hard earned cash on whims.  Although there are many pretty things out there to buy still, I have to direct my money more wisely.  So this translates to MONEY!  So my first small goal is to spend less money on things that are not a necessity for the next two months. 

So instead of thinking of NO SHOPPING for the next year, I’ve broken it down to start with 60 days. Now with 363 days left its easy to see that you can become overwhelmed and give in to the voices that tell you to give up. 

Lastly, reward yourself at each check point.  To reward myself I will allow in my budget a small shopping trip with money I set aside. So once March rolls in I’ll be looking forward to picking up something pretty. 

21 days forms a habit and is a perfect mile marker to access how you have done so far.  You should be able to decide to keep steady on your path or make even smaller goals or reevaluate your final goal. On day 30 add another item to your list of things to tackle.  Letting others know of your goals will keep you accountable and finding others with the same goal will keep you motivated, but remembering that TOMORROW IS A DO OVER is words to always remember on a day that does not go according to plan.

I’ll keep you updated on my goal of spending less this year and to remind myself of my reward I’ve created a count down on my blog to keep me going.  Much luck to you in achieving all of your goals this year, may they all be resolved!  Feel free to share your goals with me and any advice you might like to share with others 🙂