Happy New Year

This is the time where you reflect on last year, what you did and didn't accomplish and how you want to improve on all aspects of your life.  Every year I think hard on what I want to do, how can I change, how can I be better and what matters most.  Each year I always go back to the same thoughts.  Eat healthier (duh), exercise more (or at all!), be a better person (who doesn't want to do that?) give back (always) and be happy (I got that one right!)

It's hard to go through a whole year and keep all those things at the front of your thoughts.  I mean some are easy, you don't have to work that hard to be happy, at least I don't.  I have a great husband, awesome kids, it's hard not to be happy around here.  And giving back whether that means to family, friends, community, people in general - we always do that, donate things we don't need anymore, adopt a family at Christmas, make meals for those in need.  Eating healthy, not always an easy thing but I will work on it, incorporate more fruits and veggies, cook healthier.  Exercise, oh boy, that's a tough one.  I don't enjoy it, I just don't.  And it's hard because I watch Matt get up 5 - 6 days a week, well I don't watch him I more smack him once the alarm goes off and roll back over to sleep but I know he does it and enjoys it.  And than he drinks his protein shake, doesn't eat fast food and is really disciplined with the whole thing.  Than there is me.  I will work out (and I use that term loosely) for 3 days and than I am bored.  I know I need to tough it out and will be happy once I see results but I just haven't gotten there yet.  But that's the nice part about the New Year right?  You can start over and if you fail, you can start over anytime you want, it doesn't have to be January 1st to want to make improvements in your life.

So that leaves me with be a better person.  Matt has always told me that I know right and wrong more than anyone he has ever met.  The problem with that, I feel the need to tell everyone when they are wrong.  And I do.  I just can't help it!  It's hard for me to let things go as I am sure some of you have experienced a time or two (or twenty).  And it's hard for me not to speak my mind when people make me angry/sad/irritated/fill in the blank with whatever emotion I am feeling.  But I know it's not always a good thing, a fault of mine that I need to work on.  I think a lot of why I do this is protection mode.  I feel the need to protect myself, Matt and the boys. Oh, and I don't like nonsense, that's another reason.  But I can't fix the world, I am not a superhero and it isn't my job.  But I can fix how I choose to deal with problems.  So maybe this year I bite my tongue more? Or choose my words more wisely?  Or shut my family off from the rest of the world?  Or just realize that I can only change my reaction to people and can't change their actions?

We all need to improve, but its a choice one must make. Are YOU going to choose it? I hope you do!