For as long as I can remember, this is the time of year I start thinking of my New Years Resolution(s). How will I make myself better? I will lose weight, eat better, workout more, be more present with my kids. The list truly goes on and on and on.
Without fail, by March I can barely recall what those resolutions were.
I have even gotten creative. Last year I listed out 20 easy resolutions like slowing down a bit in life. That seems super do-able, right? Wrong.
The year prior to that, I focused on Ten resolutions that won’t set us up for failure. Wrong again.
I do love the lists I wrote over the past years because I don’t think they entail anything too crazy. But what I have found is that I have succeeded on the things that are truly important to me on that list.
I regularly workout. Not just in January and February but all year round. I regularly drink a lot of water. I make my bed 7 days a week- ok my husband does most days because I leave at the crack of dawn. If I look at the lists I have compiled over the years, there are things I am regularly doing.
This year, I am going to stop pretending.
No more pretending I will succeed on the things I know I won’t. I am not passionate about cooking. Just because I write “start cooking regularly for my family” on a piece of paper does not mean I will start doing it. And I am going to try really hard to not feel bad about that.
This year, I have an alternative to a New Years Resolution.
I will make a list, simply because I find joy in making lists. But the list will entail something different this year. It will be a list of the things I find I do well for my family, myself, my friends, my spiritual journey etc. It will not be a list of the things I am going to start doing better, more often or with more brilliance.
Moms, this year, I challenge you to make this same list. To find joy in the things you are already doing on a regular basis and not turn it around to something to feel guilty about. Maybe you ensure laundry is always kept up on at your house, maybe you fit in regular gym time, eat fruit every day, pray every night or clean your keyboard each Friday without fail.
Find the things you are already doing and give yourself credit! Motivate yourself to continue doing those things!
