Happy New Year!

I shared my 2019 New Year’s Resolutions (I know…..I know) with a friend and she suggested I share them with others. So here we go. In an effort to promote peace of mind and overall mental, physical, and emotional health, I resolve ( I know….I know ) to:

1. Acknowledge my inner child … still needing comfort and encouragement. Remember that everyone has an inner child.
2. Research “happy news” sites and browse the positive stories to balance all of the negative news stories we are subject to every single day.
3. Keep a gratitude journal … even if it’s only in my head.
4. Try to find things we have in common ( as opposed to how we differ ) with those I encounter.
5. Recognize when someone is talking ‘at’ me instead of ‘with’ me and learn to walk away.
6. Pet as many dogs / cats / horses / all furry things as often as possible.
7. Go outside at least once a day and breathe.
8. Find a cause that touches my heart and support it with time and/or money
9. Find a community. Book club, language, knitting, cooking, astronomy, photography …etc. Too much isolation can be unhealthy.
10. Realize it’s time. Forgive yourself.
11. Stop trying to convince myself that changing earlier life choices would have resulted in better circumstances.
12. Avoid buying into everything I read on social media. Fact-check before reacting emotionally.
13. Remember that everything written or shared on social media remains in digital form forever. There is no such thing as ‘delete’ or ‘undo’ once transmitted.
14. Never forget. In work and relationships, stay only where you are valued.
15. Review the best part of my day before falling asleep and then focus only on breathing.
16. Understand that seeds can be planted, but will rarely change anyone’s mind to your way of thinking. It might happen later, but you will probably never know.
17. Read more biographies. They highlight how much we have in common across timelines and cultures. They often demonstrate how others have overcome impossible odds.
18. Pamper myself often with massage, quality food, enjoyable exercise and people who love to laugh.
19. Be mindful of mother earth. Do whatever I can to honor her and keep her healthy.
20. Notice when I am envying what appears to be someone else’s perfect life. There’s no such thing.

Thinking back, I recall when my list of 20 resolutions included: lose weight , lose weight, lose weight, find better paying job, and make more money.

Many issues with aging can be frustrating, but we often create a higher quality list of goals.

Still want to lose weight and make more money tho. Some things NEVER change!