I absolutely LOVE this time of year! As a kid I remember how sad I would be ON Christmas Day, knowing that the holiday cheer would be soon coming to an end. But nowadays I savor the spirit of the new year, new start, and new commitments. Join me as I reflect on my commitments from 2012 and create new ones for 2013!
So the world did NOT end in 2012…and I’m accountable for these commitments.
Below you will find my original commitments from January of 2012. My reflection and new Commitments for 2013 are in bold.
The most significant lesson I learned from my 2012 Commitments was that I shouldn’t make so many! I definitely didn’t do as well on all of them, but I am overall glad that I made them. Striving to meet them is part of the success process.
1. I will workout 6 days a week in the months of January and February. On average, a habit takes 4 weeks to break- but I don’t trust my laziness. I will give myself 8 weeks. I will rest on Sundays.
2. I will focus on physical exertion and positive fitness habits, NOT on weight loss, how much time I work out, or how I look.
3. Sacrifices: I MUST be home by 5:00 to start dinner. I am taking two months off from orchestra to focus on my fitness goals. My daughter must be in bed by 8:30pm so I can get started by 8:45. I will keep Green Drink Diaries’ to one focused post per week.
4. My fitness routine will consist of short interval training with my husband and Holy Yoga, a form of Christ-based Yoga (will definitely post on this later!)
5. I will post my progress publicly on a Green Drink Diaries’ monthly “Commitments Roll-Call!” post!
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: I was very determined during the months of January and February, but unfortunately really fell off of the bandwagon afterwards. I really burnt myself out with getting up at 5am on days of morning workouts and failing to go to sleep early enough the night before. I loved Holy Yoga but found it really hard to get all of the work around the house done and wound up cutting my workouts short or skipping them altogether.
I recently had a conversation with my mom about how she managed to stay so fit with 3 kids and a full-time job while I was growing up. She compassionately told me that she never did while we were young, I just only remember how she was when we were older. She told me that she would stay active playing with us when we were younger and get in a walk or bike ride if she had time, but there rarely was any time away from us.
This was such a sigh of relief. I realized the pressure I have been putting on myself and how it was resulting in me resenting exercise. Relaxing my expectations lead to feelings of pride when I do have time to go for a walk/run with my daughter in the stroller or kicking the ball out in the yard, or taking a hike down to the river.
1. I will continue to eat the Budwig Protocol/CCFO for breakfast, green veggie smoothies for lunch, and a whole-foods dinner.
2. I will increase my juicing to 2-3 glasses of juice per week.
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: I did really well on #1 and decently on #2. This year I am going to ponder on a “juice of the day” during the week. Stay tuned for a future blog post on this!
1. Read and apply “Relearning to See: Improve Your Eyesight Naturally!” and apply what I learn. (It’s over 400 pages long!) Throw away my glasses by 2013. Teach my readers how to do the same.
2. Continue to learn more about holistic health (ongoing.)
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: I did very well with #1 , but the verdict is still out on how successful I think natural vision improvement is. It takes vast commitment and focus to stick with healthy vision habits, something I haven’t stuck to 100% of the time. I will say that healthy vision habits such as avoiding staring, shifting my vision frequently, and blinking often has practically eliminated my dry eye problems.
My educational commitment for 2013 is by far my most important and cherished one. This year I am going to begin research and the writing process for my first book! This is exciting to put in writing here on my blog. More updates in the future on this news…
1. I will attempt to form closer friendships with 2 or 3 friends this year. I want to do ONE activity with a friend each week. Maybe more? But at least one.
2. I will CALL 1-2 friends each week to invest in them and let them know I value them.
3. I will forgive myself for not writing a thank-you note. I will reasonably try to write a paper thank you-note, but I refuse to follow “thank-you note protocol” (sorry Emily Post) and if too overwhelmed at that moment, I will enthusiastically call or email instead.
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: I am going to continue with these three this year, as I think they are valuable principles for all time. I am also adding that I would like to send Christmas cards in 2013, something I have never quite accomplished.
1. Continue to only purchase with money in my bank account. No credit card purchases.
2. Continue to strive to give away at least 10% of my income.
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: My husband and I rocked this one! We are officially 100% out of debt after paying off the rest of my student loans. I graduated from college in 2004, so it was very cool to pay off my student loans in less than 8 years! Our credit cards are still frozen in a bowl of ice in the freezer.
This year, I would like to give more of our finances away to holistic anti-cancer organizations.
2012 Spiritual/Emotional Commitment:
1. I commit to relax my guilt when I fall short of my expectations. Oh, the things I feel guilty about could include 100 things each day! I have to breathe through these thoughts and let them pass. Replacing them with kind and gentle thoughts relaxes my body and allows me to forgive.
2. I commit to praying for confidence and boldness. Sometimes I am afraid to pray for general qualities like these. Partly because I know God will answer this prayer and it might be in a way I would never have thought of! He ALWAYS knows best! These two words will be in my prayer life each and every day. I will seize opportunities that take me out of my comfort zone.
Reflection and 2013 Commitment: I think my above physical commitment shows that I still am trying to truly relax my guilt for not doing “enough”, so this will continue to be a commitment of mine for 2013.
Praying for confidence and boldness had amazing outcomes you can watch HERE! I wasn’t always comfortable with my actions, but trusting God through his nudging led me to places and opportunities I never would have imagined doing!
My spiritual commitment for 2013 is one I hold dear to my heart. Anyone who is close to me knows my desire to pursue a career in educating others about the importance of nutrition through my blog and other outlets. These same people would also be able to tell you that I want to spend more time as a mother who is home more often than I am at work.
Although these are desires I feel have been placed on my heart by my Heavenly Father, I also believe He would not want me to make them idols to take the place of the work He has me doing currently (teaching my precious 4th graders.) I will be praying often for focus in His Will and work He has me doing in the NOW, but I will also ask for Him to guide me to the NEXT step in the direction He is leading me in.
Happy New Year, Cort! Praying for your new resolutions and maintenance of your present ones. Congratulations on being completely debt free! That is an incredible accomplishment!