In about 14 hours, it will be 2011. I've been doing some reflecting the past few days of things I want to accomplish this coming year. I think I touched on this in a previous blog, but here is my final list:
1. Lose weight.
It's at the top of my list every year. Well, this past year I did manage to lose 15 pounds, and I kept off 10. That's not fantastic, nor mind-blowing. But it's a start. I seriously began my journey in late June, so I stilll have a few months to make up for lost time.
I spent some time these past few days going through all of my diet books and there is one that dominated the pile. South Beach. I have the original South Beach book, two South Beach cookbooks, South Beach SuperCharged, and numerous magazines that feature the plan. So maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. So I sat down and went through the cookbooks and the Phase 1 plan and wrote down my list of ingredients for the first week. I'll let you know how much this sets me back at the end of the week and I will do a daily rundown of how it's working.
2. Live More Simply
By this I mean spend less. I will live by the mantra "do I really NEED this?" I have enough clothes so that I do not have to buy anything for the next year. I don't need any furniture, or things for my house.
I will not be eating out much, because this wastes alot of money, and truthfully, I don't know what the heck they put in the food. It's definitely NOT doing me any favors. I have steadily gained over the years and it is largely due to the fact that I eat out almost all my meals and I have overburdened my body with fat, salt, and sugar.
I will worry less. This is living more simply, believe it or not. Do you know how much time and energy I waste on worrying? That also causes weight gain. Food has become my way of coping with stress. Sugar seems to be the drug of choice for tamping it down. I figure if I worry less, I might get less cravings. Bottom line .... I can't control anyone but myself.
3. Give More/Save More
The money I save on not eating out and by not buying so much stuff, I want to divide between giving more to charity, and saving more towards retirement.
4. Nurture my talents
I am starting an art class on January 9th . I want to be able to produce a painting worthy of selling by the end of 2011.
I have already begun working on a novel. My goal is to have something ready by December 1, 2011 to present to a publisher.
5. Refresh my Soul
I am not a big believer in organized religion. However, I do believe they serve a purpose. Like schools, I believe churches are integral in teaching people about love and forgiveness. How to distinguish from right and wrong. Now if they would just leave out the guilt and threats of hell, they would be perfect. Love and forgiveness. That's what makes the world a healthy place.
I believe our relationship with our Creator is just as individual and unique as our fingerprints. If a person becomes very quiet, and goes to a place where God is evident, they will begin that dialogue that brings them closer to Him. That place could be as dramatic as a mountain, an ocean, or a powerful storm where lightening strikes a little too close for comfort. Or it could be in their own backyard under a tree while birds are singing, or something as simple as seeing their baby in the morning light peacefully sleeping. We have all felt God on a deeper level. There's something in everyone's life that has taken their breath away, that made them want to say thank you to the person who made it possible.
This coming year, I want to love more perfectly. I want to forgive more readily. I want to commune more with my Creator. And finally, I want to continue being grateful for all the blessings in my life.
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