New Year's Resolutions: Taking Stock and Making Plans

Taking Stock: 

This is what I'd like my life to be like every day of 2012.
Or at least 3 days of 2012.  

Boy, so far 2012 has been a whirlwind!  We've been busy with work and travel and birthdays and (unfortunately!) being sick, and I have to admit that I've just finally taken down all my Christmas decorations during this long weekend!  Life has been hectic!

And as such, I haven't had much time to reflect on 2011, which I always love to do at the start of a new year.  So, I'm just going to do it now.  Better late than never, right?

So, here were my resolutions for last year:
My 2011 Happiness Resolutions:
1.  Exercise.
2.  Teach my daughter about God.
3.  Be a better wife to my husband.


I think I did okay with the first two resolutions at the start of the year, but then I kind of slacked off after  Flanna started pre-K.  I'd say it's because we got busy, but we're always busy.  It's probably more a factor of my focus being elsewhere--like on making our new place into a home after we moved, which takes SO much longer than you would think.  


But I do feel proud of the way I worked hard at #3--being a better wife-- this past year.  I think that I was able to lighten up a bit this year, to be less anxious about life sometimes, to make time for shared fun experiences with my husband, to talk about the hard stuff but throw in some humor so we could make it through disagreements with mutual respect still in place, and to just generally listen more fully.  


It also didn't hurt that we moved home this summer, which gave us much more freedom to have date nights while Flanna spends time at her cousins' or grandparents' houses!  That has been a real blessing.  


Making plans:


And now, for the big reveal!  My 2012 Happiness Resolutions!  (drum roll, please!)
1.  Exercise More (seriously, I mean it this time).
2.  Submit some of my therapy activity ideas for publication.
3.  Trick myself into becoming a neat and tidy person somehow.
4.  Call more; write more, visit more.
5.  Breathe more deeply; Go outside more.
6.  Learn something new every month.  
7.  Figure out this baby stuff.  


More on all those later.  For now, it's just good to have had a chance to reflect a bit.  And now I will go breathe deeply.  That's one resolution I think I can keep.  




So, your turn?  What are your resolutions for 2012?   And, also, do you think you breathe deeply enough on a regular basis?  :)

Jump on Trampolines

Gretchen Rubin (of Happiness Project fame) says that jumping up and down can bring you a quick happiness boost, and I have to say, I agree.

We visited our friends Heather and Chuck, and their gorgeous kids last weekend, and they have a brand new trampoline!  The kids had so much fun jumping!  And I even got up there in my little sweater dress and jumped!  (Luckily no one snapped any pics of that!)  And it really did boost my happiness!  Maybe it was because I was following my happiness resolution to "Be Silly, Have Fun," or maybe it really is just fun to jump.  Either way, now I'm thinking that I need to look into used trampolines for the back yard!

And isn't baby girl just the cutest thing in the world???  I didn't want to put her down.  Ever.



Would you feel silly jumping in place, or would you be willing to try it for an endorphin boost? 

Make it Visual

This chart makes me laugh!  You would never believe the number
 of stickers we bought to potty train Flanna.

As a speech-language pathologist, using visuals comes naturally to me.  If I want to teach a skill, a concept, a new vocabulary word, steps in a process, --pretty much anything--I usually create some visual way to teach it.  I make a graphic organizer.  I draw a picture.  I make a visual schedule.  I draw a diagram.  I make a behavior tracking chart.

But for some reason, last year, I didn't use any visual tracking system to help myself meet my happiness resolutions.  I kept thinking, "Gee, I should really make a little chart with my happiness resolutions on it that I could post somewhere so I'd see it every day.  That would totally make me keep my resolutions."

But did I ever actually do that?

Um, no.

(Perhaps that's why I only partially met some of my goals?)

So, this year, I'm going to help myself in every way possible to meet my happiness resolutions.  First of all, I kept them short and sweet.  Second, I made a google doc "Resolutions Chart," inspired by the super-organized Gretchen Rubin.  My chart is accessible from work and home e-mail and looks like this:

                                         -------------------------------------------------------------

January 2011 - Resolutions Chart

“I will be the gladdest thing under the sun.  I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.  I will look at cliffs and clouds with quiet eyes.  Watch the wind blow down the grass, and the grass, rise.”

Date	Exercise	Teach F re: God	Focus on marriage	declutter
1		x		x
2	x		x

  (etc. for all the days of the month, and for next month's I'll change the month and the quote hopefully)
                                      ---------------------------------------------------------------

At first, I was recording how I did each of these things daily ("walked" for exercise, "ate out w/ hubby" for Focus on marriage, etc.), but now I'm being more efficient and just putting an X if I met the goals that day.  I'm hoping that soon I'll start seeing a chain of Xs emerge that will inspire me to maintain the forward momentum on my goals.  

I'm hoping this visual tracking strategy is going to keep me mindful of the big picture of what I wanted to accomplish this year.  Fingers crossed it will help!



How do you keep yourself focused on your goals?

Set some Goals

Why yes, I do have 8 minutes to exercise.
8 minutes, exactly. 

I've been slow to set my New Year's Resolutions in stone this year.  I've had about 8 resolutions kicking around in my head, and I've been trying to whittle it down to the most important 3, because I've decided that I can only reasonably remember 3 resolutions, and I won't stick to resolutions I can't even remember.

I keep coming back to these 3 resolutions--resolutions that I blurted out in haste when one of my friends asked me what my resolutions would be on New Year's Eve.  But once I said them, they really did seem to make sense as my biggest priorities for this year.

I'm sure you're dying of anticipation by now.

So, here they are:

My 2011 Happiness Resolutions:
1.  Exercise.
2.  Teach my daughter about God.
3.  Be a better wife to my husband.

Those are my overall goals, and here are my short-term goals to get there (the therapist in me just has to make these goals more specific, although I like the short ones above b/c they're easy to remember).

1.  Exercise - Do my "8 minutes in the morning" moves, or yoga or pilates DVDs every day, if not in the morning, then perhaps with Flanna before bed.
2.  Teach my daughter about God - I need ideas here!   I'm thinking I'd like for her to learn a song and do a craft every week based on some sort of liturgical calendar theme.  Surely someone knows of a good place for ideas in this area?
3.  Be a better wife - I think my marriage is remarkably fun and stable, but much of that is because my husband is such a lighthearted, responsible, and understanding guy.  This year, I want to try to reduce the need for understanding:  to reduce the clutter, to keep up with laundry, to have a regular date night, and to be a source of energy rather than being drained by the time I see him at the end of the day.  (Hmm, maybe being a better wife will involve getting more sleep?)

On that note, I think it's time for bed!



What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2011?

Taking Stock: Happiness Resolutions Progress Report

It's that time of year already!  Time to take stock and see how I did in keeping my New Year's Resolutions for 2010.  Here are the happiness resolutions I made this year, along with my progress.


MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. -  I only partially met this resolution.  I did well with it for a few months at a time, but not consistently.  I did find other ways to learn Spanish throughout my week regularly, though, including doing online Spanish verb quizzes  when I had a spare few minutes, reading easy books in Spanish (like the Little Red Hen, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and others from this series) with my daughter, listening to the Pimsleur language series in the car on the way to and from work, and listening to Spanish/English music CDs like Hop Skip & Sing Spanish.  I'm still planning to take a Spanish class this coming spring semester, because I'd really like to perfect my past-tense use and just generally improve my comprehension of fast speech.  

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - I did have a girls' night with my neighbors.  And I've definitely made some good friends this past year.  So, even though I don't have a regular girls' night, I do have pretty regular playdates and fun outings with friends, so I think the spirit of this resolution was met.  

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles. - This one is partially met.  I've interviewed 3 past clients and chatted with several other clients about interviewing soon.  I've really appreciated those interviews, and love learning from the parents of the children I work with.  This project has been really inspiring to me, making me more attentive to the quality of life of my clients, and adding a greater sense of purpose to my career.  

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - This continues to be an ongoing battle for me.  But I do have to say that this past year has been the most tidy year in my home's history.  (Yikes, what does that say about my home's tidiness history?!)   I think the ideas of having my home be a reflection of things I truly love, of making my home organized to reduce stress, and of having regular times to sort/clean-out different areas of my home (which I was inspired to do by my friend Dianne's 100-day clutter challenge) made a big difference for me.  

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - This one was met for about 6 months.  And then, not so much.   I think I sense a New Year's Resolution in this area for 2011!

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Finally, I can say a goal is met.  I typically bring my own healthy leftovers each day to work, which saves me both money and calories.  Yay!

Overall, I think just working toward these goals made me happier this year, even if they weren't all completely met.  And seeing little bits of progress throughout the year inspired me to try new things and learn more.  I'm mulling over ideas for new resolutions for next year.  I've really got to think about my top priorities and areas of my life that I most want to change.  I also think that next year, I'm really going to keep up with a resolutions chart regularly.  







How did you do with your New Year's Resolutions this past year?  Any ideas for new resolutions for 2011 yet?

Create Goals for Yourself (& Flanna's Wishlist)

I think I need to update my happiness resolutions. My life has changed pretty dramatically since May when I last reevaluated my progress on these goals. Here's the update:

MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. - I have 3 spanish speaking clients each week, so I speak and listen in Spanish 3 times per week. But I really do need to improve my vocabulary and my (nonexistent) use of past tense in Spanish, so I think I can get back to this goal soon. Maybe on our long drive tomorrow, I can get some reading in. (We're driving to Jawjah for a wedding...yay!!!)

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - Um, I had one girls' night. It was super fun. But then it hasn't happened since. I do have regular contact with wonderful women one on one, though, so maybe that makes up for it? No, I should totally work on this one again. Girls' nights just make me happy.

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles. - I interviewed one! Not a giant leap, but at least progress. (I'll post the interview soon, I promise!)

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - Cough. Stammer. Clearing of the throat. I think I forgot this was a happiness goal. But I promise I'll do better. It really does make me happy to have a neat and tidy home.

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - this was going so well until I started working full time. Maybe I need to change it to walking to pick Flannery up, since I pick her up from school each day. I'll think about that one.

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Finally, I can say a goal is met. I have brought my lunch every single day since I started my new job. And most days, I bring healthy leftovers from the dinner we had the night before. So, yay!

So, overall, I think I'm making good progress. Good thing I have a few more months left in my Happiness Project year!

Oh, and I just have to share Flannery's birthday list (her birthday's about a month away). It sort of fits with the idea of having goals/dreams, right? Plus, it's just adorable to see what she's into.

Anyway, here's her wish list:

1. a little brother Barbie
2. a Princess Pea doll (from a TV show called SuperWhy)
3. sparkly colorful lotions (we saw these at Ross once and she hasn't forgotten about them yet!)
4. a computer
5. new leapster 2 games (especially princess type games)
6. a baby doll that can drink milk out of a bottle
7. a newborn baby Barbie baby (does that even exist?)
8. a Signing Time video
9. a baby doll that can really hold her own pacifier in her mouth
10. The Little Mermaid II Movie

Seriously adorable.


I may not blog much this weekend because of the traveling we'll be doing, but stay tuned for a post featuring the most adorable flower girl you've ever seen when we get back!





What goals are you focusing on this year? Have you written them down? Do you post them where you can see them regularly? I used to have my 5 life goals written on the front flap of my calendar/planner, and I think I accomplished more that year than I ever had before. Maybe I'll try that trick again. I think there's something to reminding ourselves of our goals each day.

By the way, does any one else think this Barbie family looks a little creepy? Seriously, since when did Ken start looking like Billy Bob Thornton?

Baby Steps

Is this not the cutest picture ever? I tried to find a picture of Flannery's little feet to post here, but this one of her with my mom when she was tiny was just too adorable not to post. Seriously. Those cheeks!

Annnyway.

For some reason, today I decided to take stock of where I am on my path to meeting my happiness resolutions for this year. Maybe it's because I had a few moments to myself after my last client before I had to pick up my daughter, so I could ponder my life a bit. Or maybe it's because I read a few books in Spanish today, which energized me. Or maybe it's because I get ambitious in a delirious way when I stay up late. In any case, here are my happiness resolutions for 2010, along with my current progress:

MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. - I have fallen off of the-reading-Spanish-wagon for a few weeks, but today, I listened to Spanish music CDs in the car and read 2 books in Spanish, so I'm hoping to climb back on. Since I don't commute to Chapel Hill for work anymore, I've lost a good routine for learning Spanish. (I used to listen to the Pimsleur language series - conversational Audio CDs--to learn a little each week.) I really think tying the learning time to something that I do regularly each week is going to be key for consistent progress. But what routine?

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - done. OK, so it's not a regular girls' night yet. But all the mommies of young kiddos on my street went out for drinks recently, and it was a huge success. So I'm hoping it will be a regular thing soon. (Have I mentioned how neat and diverse my street is? The people are so wonderful.)

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles. - not addressed. Can someone send me some nerve, please? I hate to bug busy people. But I know that these stories are just lovely and would make the world a better place by being told. Sigh. Not sure why I can't execute this one yet.

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - Wow. My house is so not tidy right now. I've realized that now that the "100 Day Clutter-Free Challenge" is over (from the inspiring Clutter Free Journey blog), I've really let this resolution fall away. Maybe I should start the challenge again from day one by following her archives. OK. I think I'll try that.

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - met on days that I'm home (I work Friday afternoons now, but we do dance pretty regularly on Mon/Weds!)

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Um. Sometimes I drop by my house between clients and grab a cereal bar for lunch. Does that count? Yeah, I didn't think so. A scary thing has happened to make this resolution more difficult. I now pass a Taco Bell every Thursday around lunch time, between clients. And I admit it, I am a sucker for a 99 cent bean burrito. I mean, it's cheap, it's fast, it's protein, and it's not as terribly unhealthy as...um, a hamburger? yeah. I still do need to pack a salad.

So, there we are, folks. This progress report is not as glowing as the last one was. But maybe that will make me get myself in gear so that I can focus on growth this summer.



Have you kept any of your new years' resolutions this year? What areas of your life are you moving forward in? Stalling in? Do you think that taking stock of where you are makes you happier or just depressed? Or depressed in the short run and happy in the long run if it inspires change? OK, I promise I'll stop asking questions now, especially multiple choice ones. :)

Grow a Little Bit

My basil is beginning to sprout. (Chives, too, but I didn't post that pic!)

My windowsill herb garden is beginning to actually work! I picked some fresh cilantro to go with our chickpea masala last night. Yum! And the little basil and chive shoots make me really happy every time I see them peeking up through the soil. My daughter just wants to touch them and water them constantly, which I'm sure isn't the best gardening technique, but I like that she's excited by the growth.

The whole idea of growth has been really important in my happiness project so far. I've found that the times I'm the happiest are when I can see myself growing (not wider..hah!). When I stick to my happiness resolutions and actually do get more exercise and clean my house regularly and learn my Spanish each week, I really am happier.

And those times when I get overwhelmed by work and laundry and dishes and let things slide and don't work on Spanish for a few days...well, you really don't want to hear about that. Lemme just say that it's not pleasant. Definitely not happy.

There's something about continual growth and learning that is a safety mechanism for my mental well-being.

Maybe it's just feeling productive. (I heard an interview on NPR today about the qualities NASA looks for in astronauts, and was really interested to hear that one of the ways they try to preserve the psychological health of their astronauts is by building little daily successes and daily productive tasks into the astronaut's work schedule each day. Cool, huh?)

Anyway, growth. It's pretty cool to watch. And even cooler to be a part of.


In what ways are you growing right now?

Resolutions? What Resolutions?

2010 is slipping by at breakneck speed so far. Really, it just can’t be the last week of February already!

I had fully intended to do a monthly review of my progress on my happiness resolutions. But here we are two months into them. Hmph.

Better late than never?

Just to review, my happiness resolutions for 2010 are:

MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:
1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week.
2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June.
3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles.
4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night.
5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons.
6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs.

And my progress on those goals (this is so like IEP/IFSP Progress Reporting that it’s making me laugh!) is:

1. Learn Something:
Yep, I’m pretty much doing this one! Yay! That’s probably because I just love Spanish and choose to do it long before I’d choose other stuff like, oh, say, laundry or cooking. Right now, I’m reading “Spanish Verbs for Dummies.” And as much as I thought I’d hate the whole “For Dummies” take on learning Spanish, I have to admit it’s been pretty enjoyable.

2. Be social:
Good thing I gave myself a lot of leeway on this one. The three women I’ve connected with so far in Durham seem to have completely opposite schedules than I do. But I’m holding out hope, because I really think hanging out with other women boosts my happiness really quickly.

3. Really listen:
Um, no progress yet. I haven’t been brave enough to bug my past clients. But I think their stories are so interesting that I should push through my discomfort. It can also be therapeutic to write or tell your own story, so maybe I should think of it that way. Okay. This one will happen.

4. Cut the Chaos:
My house has seen a pretty drastic change in its crazy mess level, so that’s been good. I can’t say I’ve cleaned up every night, but I’ve been more consistent about doing dishes and laundry, and I’ve decluttered a TON of stuff, thanks to my friend Dianne’s Clutter Therapy challenge. So, yes, we’re moving in the right direction here. Hooray!

5. Exercise:
This one has happened probably once a week instead of three times a week. But, hey, that’s progress.

6. Eat well:
The therapist in me wants to put “50% accuracy” here. ☺ When I plan ahead the night before, I do take a lunch and don’t eat a McDonald’s snack wrap in between clients. I’ve even managed to pack a thermos of coffee a few times. Which saves me money and keeps me from getting some calorie-rific latte from Starbucks so I can make it through the day. (Seriously, did you know a Vanilla Latte has 320 calories!!?!! Yikes!)

So, has my mediocrity inspired you yet? I haven't even kept all of my happiness resolutions very well, but I can still honestly report that I'm feeling happier so far in 2010 than I have in quite a while.

Here's to growth!

And not the kind that comes from my (darn-I-wish-I-didn't know-they-had) 320 calorie lattes!


What were your new year’s resolutions? How are you doing with them?

Anticipate Fun!

It might SNOW here on Saturday! Snow!

I'm so excited! Being from Georgia, snow is all about fun for me. (No--that year I spent in Boston where I dug my car out of 4 feet of snow repeatedly--it didn't take the fun out of the snow, either!)

I thought about keeping it a surprise for my daughter that it might snow, just in case it didn't. You know, so she wouldn't be disappointed. (The pics are from last winter when it snowed like crazy in Athens, by the way!)

But then, I thought, half the fun of snow is the anticipation of it! Looking out the window the night before the snow is expected, hoping for a snowflake, making plans for the hot chocolate and snow angels you'll make.

It's that way for a lot of things, really. Getting engaged, getting married, having a baby, vacations...it's really fun to dream about how these things are going to be, to anticipate them.

So, we told Banana that it might snow on Saturday. And she's SO happy about it! She said she's going to make a snow monkey with a snow banana. (??) And I promised her I'd figure out how to make snow ice cream. And my husband went out searching for a sled at fifteen different stores.

On a similar note, we're also already making Valentines. As a part of my happiness resolution to Share & Create Family Traditions, each holiday is a big deal in our household. And anticipating the fun of each holiday is fun in and of itself!


What happy moment are you anticipating? Enjoy it!

Learn Something New

Learning new things makes me happy.

The most fulfilling time of my career was when I was on an interdisciplinary team for early intervention in Athens, GA, for about 4 years. My team met weekly to discuss the families we served, to problem-solve about certain kiddos, and to reflect on our job performance and how we could improve. I learned SO much during those years, and I think the learning component of the job was what made me so happy in it. I find that if I’m not feeling challenged to grow constantly in my job or pretty much in any area of my life, I’m not as happy as I’d like to be.

Right now at my job, I’m most enjoying the bilingual Spanish preschool language group I co-teach each week here in Durham. And the occasional Spanish evaluations I do when they come up, as well. I think it’s the challenge that makes me happy to be doing these parts of my job. It’s funny to think that challenge can make me happy, but I really think it’s true.

On weeks I keep my happiness resolution to “Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week,” it definitely boosts my happiness. It makes me feel like I’m in control of my life, like I’m doing something that I want to do that makes me a better person. And on weeks I don’t keep my resolution, I'm just not as happy.

This is one of those weeks that I’m not keeping any of my happiness resolutions very well. But I have a sick kiddo at home, so I’m trying to cut myself some slack.

And I’m actually learning a lot while taking care of a croup-y toddler.

Like, how chicken noodle soup is completely unappealing to a 3 year old unless it has Shrek-shaped noodles.

Or, how popsicles can lose their appeal, but Sprite never does.

Or, how if I put the words, “The DOCTOR says that _____” before something, my preschooler takes it much more seriously than if just “Mom says so.”

Or, how mommy loses her temper much more easily after day 4 of co-sleeping with a restless daughter.

See how much I’m learning?

And even in my short-tempered, exhausted, still-in-my-PJs-at-2 p.m. state, that makes me happy.



How’s it going with the keeping of your new year’s resolutions? Any successes to report?

Celebrate Traditions

Today was my hubby's birthday. I completely forgot to tell him happy birthday this morning before I left for work, though. How terrible, right?

The moment I wrote the date during my first treatment session, though, I realized my mistake and called and sang happy birthday to him (with my two speech kiddos).

When I got home from work, Flanna and I made him a giant cookie cake and ordered Indian for dinner. And we all danced together before dinner. Fun! Flanna kept asking her dad, "Will you be my prince?" when she meant, "will you dance with me?"

Sooooo sweet.

At the end of the night, she said her favorite part was eating his cake and picking out his candles. (I let her choose which candles to put on his cake).

Making a point to truly celebrate each special day that comes up has probably been the most effective happiness resolution I've made.

Now, to sleep off this sugar high.

Cut the Chaos

I just spent ten minutes drooling over these monogrammed hangers online at www.hangers.com. I have no idea how I came upon monogrammable hangers...it was during one of those out of body free flow googling experiences, but aren't they cool? I'm sure I'll never bring myself to buy them, but imagining my closet looking that fancy-schmancy gave me a little mood lift.

I've been in a decluttering frenzy for the past few days, and I really think that I'm feeling happier because of it! It's so nice to get rid of things that I don't use and to make space for the things I love. My friend Dianne started a blog for the new year called Clutter Therapy, and she has really given me some inspiration to keep my "cut the chaos" happiness resolution. She's challenged her readers to get rid of 10 things every day (from old gum wrappers in your purse to those pants that just don't fit right) for 100 days. I think this challenge is going to get me in the habit of decluttering on a regular basis, and I'm really excited about it!

This weekend I went way further than Dianne's 10 item a day decluttering challenge, and just let my OCD tendencies have full reign while I cleaned out my closet, my dresser, my jewelry box, my daughter's dressers & closet, and her toy bins. I still have a long way to go (as we speak, we still have a Christmas tree up and several Christmas toys who are as of yet homeless), but tomorrow IS another day! And I actually made some dinero in the process! Turns out after Xmas isn't the BEST time to sell your unwanted clothes to Plato's Closet, but I fared better selling kids' stuff at Once Upon a Child. Now we have more room in our closets and some extra cash. Nice!

Oh, by the way, I made the dreaded doctor's appointment with a new doctor in this new town, and they can't fit me in until Thursday! My hubby, meanwhile, took himself by the acute care clinic this morning and was home with an antibiotic within 2 hours. I almost stole it from him while he wasn't looking, but I guess I'll wait my turn.



Dianne is one of those friends of mine who could inspire a telephone pole. I love feeding off of her enthusiastic energy! How have your friends helped YOU to become a better person?

A New Year, a new Goal (or 6)

I've come up with 6 reasonable New Year's Resolutions. I'm starting small here, and hoping for a little success to motivate me to keep going. Of course, I'd love to exercise every day and eat home-made healthy lunches consistently, but for now, I'm letting myself change slowly.

I'm even going to be a little bit OCD and print these resolutions out and tape them in the front cover of my calendar, where I'll see them each day. I did that with my priorities list once, and I think it made me work harder to do what I wanted to do during that year. Anyway, here are my first 6 resolutions for this year of my happiness project:


MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:
1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week.
2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June.
3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles.
4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night.
5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons.
6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs.

I'm trying to make these measurable goals so that I'll know if I've met them or not. Some years, I have resolutions like "Exercise more" or "Eat healthier foods". While these sound like good goals, they're too nebulous for me, and I don't like feeling unsure if I'm meeting them or not. Maybe that's why I haven't really kept resolutions all that well in the past. This year, I'm going to be specific and push myself to do exactly what my goal says, and more if I can.


What resolutions have you made this year? Do you make broad sweeping goals or smaller more conservative ones?