2018

2018 goals...

~SLEEP MORE, because NO other aspect of my life will go smoothly if I don't get enough sleep. I will be irritable and cranky, won't make healthy food choices, won't feel well, won't exercise, and won't be productive or be who I was created to be.

LAUGH MORE, because life is tough, and if I can't laugh, then I am in trouble. Sometimes laughing is the life preserver in the rough undercurrent.

PAUSE MORE, because pausing before I act is never a mistake. If I want to confront a situation, waiting to respond is never regretted but impulsively acting almost always is.

SAY "NO" MORE, because life is too short to waste time doing things I don't really care about. I should spend my spare time doing things that mean something to me and fulfill my  purpose. If I say yes to things I really don't want to do, I will be resentful and unhappy. People who truly care about me will understand this.

FOLLOW MY PASSION MORE, because those things that excite me and inspire me are my calling. Not only that, but pursuing them will make me truly happy. I am never truly happy unless I am using my creativity. Not being creative, in my own unique way, will cause me anxiety. 

GIVE MORE, because the older I get the more I feel my heartstrings being tugged at the most random times. So many times I feel almost frantic because there are so many things I could be doing that I'm not. It's time to start doing some of those things.

CONNECT WITH GOD MORE, because being still and spending time with God will sustain me through the bad days, the normal days, and the great days. My happiness will be enhanced with God, and my sadness will be tolerable with God. 

GIVE GRACE MORE, because people aren't perfect and neither am I. People will say and do things that hurt my feelings. When this happens, I have two choices- I can be offended and stew over it and become resentful or angry. Or I can let it go and realize that we all fall short and I can choose to forgive because I hope that I am forgiven when I fall short as well. 

APPRECIATE MOMENTS MORE, because there are no perfect days. Never, ever, has there been an entirely perfect day. But there have been perfect moments. So when they happen, I need to be undistracted and "all in." Life is too fleeting to let the gift of a perfect moment go unnoticed.

CELEBRATE MORE, because small things or even nothing special can be celebrated. Birthdays and New Years and such should be celebrated, but so can any day. I can take the family to a movie on a school night, a fancy dinner with fancy dishes and candles can be on a regular old Tuesday, and a party can be thrown for a silly, made up reason. Our time here is limited, so why on Earth not?

And last but not least, may 2018 be the most authentic and inspiring year yet, full of wonder and many perfect moments!!!~