Celebrate

I don't do resolutions. They set me up for failure and then I feel bad about myself. Further, I find it a bit ridiculous (for me, personally) to wait until the beginning of a year to make changes that I deem important.

With all of that said, I do definitely spend time at the conclusion of each year reflecting on the previous 365 days and thinking about the future. As a part of this process, I found that instead of drafting resolutions, picking a theme is great for me.

In general, 2011 was a fine year. There were some low moments (grandparents passing, etc.) as well as some incredible ones (finding out I'm pregnant, etc.). I learned a lot, had some fun, and lived life. At the end of 2010, I decided that my 2011 theme would be 'intention'. I wanted to live with intention rather than idly passing through life. Rather than making choices that were only good for others, I sought to really consider how I spend my energy, etc. Overall, I did a fairly decent job being true to my theme. Whenever stressed, I asked myself if that was how I wanted to spend my energy and if I had a choice in the matter. Often, I did have more power than I realized. When feeling less than comfortable with my interactions with others, I reflected on why I maintained the relationship. Consequently, a few toxic relationships fell out of my life while I focused on building others that were previously neglected. Living with intention certainly did not fix all of my deficiencies. There were still friends I neglected, and still deficiencies in self-care, etc. Yet, I became more cognizant of these deficiencies and did make baby steps towards addressing them. Also, by becoming more aware of how I want to live my life on a daily basis, I became more proficient in engaging in daily gratitude (something that is important to me and my well-being), and better establishing my future goals.

While I hope to continue to live a life that is rooted in intention, I choice a different theme for 2012. This year, my theme is "Celebrate". Too often I get caught up in daily tasks that prohibit me from really enjoying my place in the world and this stage of my life. I'm acutely aware of how silly this is, but do very little to change it. Thus, over the next 365 days, instead of just thinking about how I want to use my energy, and what I am thankful for each day, I hope to also incorporate celebrations into my daily experience. Cheezy? Maybe, but I have a lot of great things coming up that I want to savor. Amongst others, here are things I hope to celebrate in 2012:

- the birth of my son
- the completion of my coursework for my degree
- a decade of marriage
- the completion of my first year as a full-time faculty member
- passing my comprehensive exams
- beautiful sunsets
- days getting my feet wet at the beach
- delicious cups of coffee
- time with my friends and family
- incredible class sessions
- fairly good health
- all things sparkly
- good meals
- productivity
- smiles

Of course, I hope (and fully expect) to add these things as well....

What will you do this year?