I should have listened to Gregg and stayed list-less! Even a goal list can give me fits. I found myself feeling guilty and avoiding things that I honestly want to do simply because it was on my list! It has me agreeing with a woman in Playa del Carmen this January who told me, "I don't know what your experience has been, but I think psychologists are pretty crazy." Imagine the look on her face when I told her I was a psychologist. LOL But I couldn't have agreed more!
I'm going to adopt my 4yo's philosophy of life–I'm just going to go after what I want. It's what I was doing for four months and I was never happier. In fact, I am going back to making a happiness list. I have a dated journal that I will be writing in most evenings. It's such good therapy for me! My happiness list is a no-pressure way of looking not only for things to be grateful for but things I've accomplished.
Big on my list today was surprising my kids by taking them to a new restaurant. I ordered them into the car with shoes and coats on. The oldest were certain that I was taking them to the dentist. LOL I even took time to turn the car around so the 4yo could see the neighbors' snowman. I have also enjoyed starting a sane organization of digital photos (I'm putting them in folders by year and month and noting any special events in the file name, but that is ALL!). Thank you Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst! Finally, I'm happy that the summer I spent writing So You're Not Wonder Woman was not wasted on an acquaintance I talked with tonight. She was so glad that I was real in the book. She makes me want to be real ALL the time.
I'll check back next December and see how many of those goals I accomplished. Right now I plan to accomplish some dessert. LOL My little guy is making me hungry!
What sweet friends I have! Thank you for the encouragement. My friend's blog inspired me to revise some of my goals and post an update. I noticed that I was really resisting some of these. One thing that can cause resistance is the perception that the goal is too difficult. I made some of mine more vague, but in effect easier. I highlighted most of the changes. How is your new year going?
1. Purge and organize basement storage room – partially completed 1/15/10
2. Organize printed photos once a month
3. Have Disney photobook printed
4. Clean out office sewing closet
5. Go scuba diving
6. Clean upstairs carpet
7. Groom dog completely – completed 1/14/10
8. See dentist
9. Have youngest’s cavity filled
10.Take dog to vet
11.Organize contents of over-sized art files
12.Work on home photo projects once a month
13.Wash MBR comforter
14.Make 22 meals for the freezer in a day
15.Bake from scratch twice a month – on target
16.Spend less time thinking about how I look
17.Create a motivational plan for kids’ schoolwork
18.Do chores with the kids more consistently
19.Do laundry more consistently – on track
20.Use a meal plan the majority of the time – on track
21.Read most scheduled Omnibus books
22.Limit recreational computer time
23.Clean email inbox out regularly – ok
24.Make it to court 1 in tennis league at least once
25.Develop tennis serve enough to serve hard every first serve for at least 1 league
26.Read at least 24 books for recreation – 1 complete
27.Teach piano once a week
28.Practice piano regularly
29.Refuse enough unnecessary purchases to donate $1000 to charity
30.Train dog regularly
31.Purge my clothes
32.Blog on both blogs consistently
33.Have a family game night at least once a month
34.Have a family reading/devotion night at least twice a month
35.Finish reading chronological Bible
36.Plan an outing to the winery with friends
37.Plan a trip to Mark Twain Lake
38.Plan a picnic in Sullivan with Mom
39.Read bedtime stories to youngest regularly
40.Enforce bedtimes consistently
41.Finish filing in the school room
42.Organize all paper inbox materials
43.Organize/purge digital pictures or work on photobooks regularly
44.Clean out main floor freezers
45.Watch at least one full season of Little House on the Prairie
46.Take friend out for lunch 4 times
47.Organize marriage Bible study
48.Keep closet floor picked up consistently
49.Plan and hold Caleb & Sam’s birthday party
50.Organize a nerf gun war at church
51.Finish and edit The Playbook
52.Get up early for devotions consistently – ok
53.Thoroughly clean and organize kids’ bathroom – partially completed
54.Plan and prepare for next school year
55.Do something for the Happiness of it daily
56.Spend at least 20 hours working on motivational book
57.Purge and organize main floor and basement pantry
58.Plan a family trip to Chicago and Michigan
59.Clean out MBR closet
60.Make a list of potential subjects for What Kids Need to Know
61.Try out for Beauty and the Beast
62.Develop a list of ideas for a speakers series at church
63.Organize and start a ministry to get kids involved in worship
64.Write and tape another episode of GWN
65.Organize girls’ night out with church friends
66.Seek to honor God and my family through homeschooling consistently
67.Set a fitness goal for summer and reach it
68.Spend time outside consistently in good weather
69.Have a family movie night regularly
70.Create fitness ministry video
71.Help fitness ministry with publicity before I leave
72.Have house clean and orderly before I go to Cancun – almost complete
73.Purge files from each computer at least twice
74.Write four hand-written letters
75.Spend at least one evening making homemade cards
76.Limit kids’ total media use consistently
77.Take the kids somewhere on the train
78.Go on a hot air balloon ride
79.Use a craft kit with kids
80.Research submitting novel to publisher
81.Draft a women’s Bible study video series idea
82.Go water skiing
83.Complete videography course that I own
84.Practice tennis skills as recommended on video – some
85.Work through singing videos
86.Sing karaoke with Mom and Fran in public
87.Organize junk journal class
88.Work on junk journal once a week – doing well
89.Have another food competition with neighbors
90.Memorize Psalm 34 – doing well
91.Read College Prep Homeschooling
92.Have niece and fiancée over for dinner
93.Take other niece out for dinner
94.Plan homeschool co-ops for the rest of the year – making progress
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
