My Laid Back plan for the New Year

New Years Resolutions. This tradition, which officially dates back to the Roman calendar of 153 B.C. (and may possibly date back further to the ancient Babylonians), drives people around the world to diet, exercise, stop smoking, and work toward various personal goals. Many use it as a time to wipe clean the slate of past mistakes and to start fresh with a new and improved attitude.

I've always looked forward to making New Year's resolutions; I am, after all, a list person. For some reason putting pen to paper and writing down things I need to do helps me breath easier...until that list becomes so long that my breathing becomes labored.

This year, I decided to not make traditional resolutions, but instead made a list of goals that I can work toward this year. Not goals I need to finish by a certain date, but rather a process of self examination and reflection. I also made a list of "Things that would be nice." As I was writing these lists at 12:07 this morning I battled with some negative thoughts. "You're being a slacker," an inner voice taunted, "you're just using your PPD as an excuse to be lazy and not live up to your God-given potential." I bit my lip, took a deep breath, muttered one of my new mantra's "His truth will set me free" and began writing my list. I like to call it my gentle list. I'm going to share it here on the blog and then hopefully follow it up in future posts with some updates.

• Implement Healthy Living Strategies : For me this includes managing my PPD symptoms. I've been feeling so well lately, but I know that if I cease to use the tools made available to me to fight this illness (healthy diet, exercise, medication, counseling, support system, a mouth to ask for help when needed and a heart and mind to not be ashamed for asking, etc.) that I could very well fall back into that dark pit. Not an option!
• Be honest yet gentle with myself
• Cling to the Lord and His promises
• Take captive negative thoughts and lies before they can take me captive
• Recognize when I confuse excellence with perfectionism and set unrealistic standards
• Pour my focus into following God's Word and thinking less about what others may say or think about some of my actions.
  
• Squash dreams to become "Magifico Mommy" and "Wonder Wife." Instead just actively love my family and prayer daily that God will love them through me with all the attributes listed in I Corinthians 13.
  

The following list is my "It would be nice if these things happen, but I'm not going to beat myself up over them if they don't" list.

• Finish my children's book about PapPap

• Continue blogging
• Keep working on my novel
• Lose the extra 15 lbs of baby weight I've been carrying (may sound shallow, but I don't have the money to buy a new wardrobe and am tired of wearing sweat pants and maternity jeans)

I wish you all a fabulous New Year.