Resolutions 2015

What brings you joy? What fills you with inspiration and passion, and motivates you to keep your head up? What’s the best of your life? Where’s the silver lining in the storm cloud?

I will admit, I sometimes have a hard time staying positive. I spend so much energy and time thinking about the negative that I forget about the simple treasures in life. So this blog is here to help me remember and share the everyday joys.

Since I created the blog at the end of 2014, I thought I would start with my resolutions. I’m usually leery of resolutions because I’m so bad at keeping them. But I make them every year, because I’m *certain* that this year will be different.

Each of my resolutions addresses an aspect of overall wellness. Aside from the usual eating better and exercising more, I’ve added some areas like finances and emotional wellness that sometimes get pushed aside. And I have one major goal that I want to achieve by 2016. So, to encourage me, I plan to make an inspiration board about all of these goals to look at and add to as the year passes.

Resolutions for 2015

1. Finances - Keep a financial binder, or at least keep my checkbook up to date. I would greatly prefer the former, but I recognize that my desire to keep detailed notes is sorely lacking. Even keeping a planner for more than a couple of months manages to thwart my best of intentions. So while I will – once again – attempt to keep a planner this year (talk to me again in March), I’m making my finances a focus to prevent unnecessary anxiety.
   
2. Health – Exercise at least once a week, preferably 3x a week. Spine issues have caused my activity level to plummet as I adjust to my new and ever-changing limits. It can be frustrating. But I’ve decided that my bike has a date at the repair shop very soon.
   
3. Emotional – Write in my journal or blog every day. I’ve learned that I have a hard time understanding what I feel and think until I put my thoughts into words. 2014 was full of turmoil, but I rarely wrote about it, especially after this summer. So this year I’m going to write, get everything out, so I might be able to understand how I’m handling things (or not, as the case may sometimes be). Some events might make it to the blog, some might not. But at least I’m examining my thoughts and feelings instead of bottling them up.
   
4. Spiritual – The past several years have been tumultuous regarding my spiritual path. I’ve been exploring paths, trying to see what “fits.” A about 7 years ago I looked into Buddhism, and it became a major foundation for my life. I looked at other paths, and they influenced me to various extents. I’ve decided, though, that after leaving it behind for so long and gaining some circumspection, I needed to return to Christianity. Some of my friends may be disappointed, but I realized that what I resented most about Christianity wasn’t what Christ taught, but what churches preach. This return is a work in progress, but I want to try.
   
5. Intellectual – I’ve downloaded a brain training app designed by Rosetta Stone to improve my smarts. Brain Fog from the Fibromyalgia, my ability to concentrate and think has suffered. It makes me feel dumb, though I know I’m not.
   
6. The BIG GOAL – Finish my novel. I’ve been working on it for over a year. It’s been my project for 2 National Novel Writing Months, and three Camp NaNoWriMos. It’s essentially three novels’ worth of material. I want to finish the full rough draft and start the editing process.

So those are my resolutions for 2015. They might be a bit ambitious, but I’ve decided that I’ve allowed my life to slip through my fingers for far too long. “Ambitious” is exactly what I need to break free.

I hope by sharing things that bring me joy, I can return to these posts when I need them and remind myself that things are better than I might think they are. And maybe someone else will be inspired as well.

Many Blessings