"I cannot go back to yesterday
because I was a different person then."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I'll be honest, coming up with resolutions for this year has been a little difficult. I feel like I have a lot of self improvement to do, but I'm not quite sure where to start. There are holes in my life that need filling. I feel the need for greater spirituality, better self-control, and more creativity. Frankly, I don't know how I am going to accomplish filling these holes, so my 2015 goals are going to be malleable and may change throughout the year, but this is where I am going to start:
Spirituality
1. Say my personal prayers every day.
I believe that having a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Chris leads to greater self confidence and a healthy respect for life and for those relationships we create during this life. Prayer helps set the tone for our day and gives us a greater perspective. So I created a good, old-fashioned, paper calendar where I will mark off my progress. It is helpful to have something so concrete to look at. I don't want to see any blanks squares amid all of my X's.
2. Read the Book of Mormon as a family.
Hearing the stories in the scriptures reminds me of the "great things the Lord has done for [my] fathers" and also helps give an eternal perspective to this life. We have recently started to incorporate reading the Book of Mormon into our bedtime routine with Liv. This has been helpful for the whole family because as we strive to teach Liv, we learn ourselves.
3. Go to the temple three times this year.
The temple is the closest place to heaven besides our own homes. The closest temple to us is the Washington DC temple. We have never lived so far away from a temple (which is still pretty close compared to many of our brothers and sister around the world). Although three times a year doesn't sound like much, I feel that it is going to be enough of a challenge for us while we work with a med school schedule, one car, and two kids. :)
Self-Control
1. No senseless media after 10:00pm on weekdays.
Right now a lot of my nights are wasted on Facebook, Pinterest, and phone games. Generally, after 10:00pm nothing productive happens. I just stay up really late doing silly things and pay for it the next morning. So, the phone goes off at 10:00pm SHARP! I won't watch movies or shows after 10:00. I used the caveat of no "senseless" media after 10:00 because I believe that I can do some productive or useful things on the computer. Blogging, for example. :)
2. Get healthy.
I don't really want to detail my health plan here because this often has the opposite effect for me. The more people who know about my diet/workout/whatever plan, the more likely I am to fail. I had to put this goal out there, but just don't ask me about it. :)
Creativity
Now here is where I really struggle. Being a stay-at-home mom has its challenges in this regard. I am not going to school every day but I still want to expand my mind. I am not working outside the home but I still want to feel productive. So far my creative outlet has been in decorating my home (which many of my friends can attest, is still pretty pathetic). So this section of my goals is where I will be most flexible. I would like to take this year to discover a new (or rediscover an old) talent that I can foster inside my home. So that is my first goal. I have a few other creative or fun goals as well.
1. Discover a new talent.
This will require me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. Possibilities include: quilting, sewing, sign language, interior design, and anything else that comes my way!
2. Observe, then serve.
What does this have to do with creativity, you ask? I think it takes a lot of creativity to know how to serve someone. It takes more than the rote "Let me know if there's anything I can do" statement. It takes a good amount of thought to do something really helpful to another person. This was a goal I had last year and I failed miserably at it. To help me this year I am going to include another person or family in my personal prayers each day. Hopefully this will help me listen to the spirit to discern how I can best serve them. Then I am going to try to do at least one act of service a week. This could be something as simple as a phone call or as elaborate as helping plant a garden. Who knows what kinds of things I can help with this year!
3.Go on at least four day trips to visit historical sites.
This is a "just for fun" goal, but I think we all need at least one of these! There are soooo many amazing things to do near where we live and I don't want to miss out! I've already made a list of some of the great places I want to visit: Amish town (Lancaster), Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Falling Waters (for you, Linds), Reading Terminal Market (America's oldest farmers' market), and Strites Orchard just to name a few.
*If any of you east coasters have any suggestions for my list, please let me know!
These goals aren't as concrete as many of my 2014 goals, but I feel that if I keep them in my mind and measure what I can, then I will accomplish many of my goals and develop myself in important and needed ways. Wish me luck!
