Promises To Myself – 2011 Wrap-Up

It’s that time of year again.  Each year right after Thanksgiving I set aside some time for self-reflection and goal setting until the end December.  I look at the things I’ve accomplished and what I can finish up before the end of the year.  It’s a rewarding time to look back and see how far we’ve come as a family, and in my personal growth, but also to reflect back on the challenges and obstacles that were thrown in our path, how we faced them, mistakes and triumphs along the way, and of course, the lessons learned.

 This year marks a personal turning point in my life as well, so it’s more than just a time of reflection, it’s a time of renewal.  I decided as I was cooking the favored dishes for Thanksgiving that this will be the last Thanksgiving that I will be THAT traditional.  I have, for the last year, been eating much healthier, watching my diet and exercising more.  The traditional dishes, while delicious, are not the healthiest I could make.  One of my goals between now and Christmas / New Years is to look for healthy and tasty ways to enhance our holiday meals. 

 As my kids get older and begin to prepare to start their own lives and own traditions, I find myself wanting to create some new traditions that will grow and continue for our family, starting with changing our holiday menus a bit. 

 Promises to myself

1. I will celebrate each and every holiday, event, birthday and accomplishment in my life and the lives of family and friends.
2. I will look for ways to continually enrich my life through learning new cultures and spiritual renewal.
3. I will seek to simplify and de-clutter my house and my life.
4. I will make a concerted effort to spend more time with the positive mentors, like-minded people and good friends in my life.
5. I will remind myself that while my children are my priority, I am important too.
6.  I will change one thing in my life every single week to make sure I continue to grow and improve my/our quality of life.
7. I will continue to find new recipes to eat healthy, take really good care of myself and exercise.
8. I will make time for an “Artist” date each week.
9. I will find ways to make myself step outside of my comfort zone, set firm goals and work towards them.
10. I will find ways to make time to meditate and pray every single day no matter what crisis, mishap, or odd circumstance comes along. 

This is my list here at the end of 2011.  Between now and New Years I will work to put these things in place and tweak my list to include things for the coming 2012. 

Cherry Coley ©