No New Year Resolutions!

I have not made New Year's resolutions in several years because I do not follow through with them. What I have been doing instead is more like principles to live by. Or things I would like to see, do, or have more of in my life.

Well, anyone that knows me and my family knows that the last 2-3 years has been one big roller coaster of stress and anxiety and grief. Russ battled throat cancer for three years and almost died. All of 2017 was holding our breath not knowing if it would be his last. Thank God he is alive and well now and just celebrated one year cancer free! Then my mom found out in January 2018 that she had liver cancer and she passed away in June. She lived 5 months after her diagnoses. A beautiful light was extinguished from the world that day. It was a very sad and stressful "moment" in time. We have been living in survival mode for so long that is has taken me quite some time to start feeling "normal" again. It feels like we have been living underground in a bunker all this time and are just coming back to the surface in the sunshine and the real world.

I said all of that to say this. My new principle to live by this year is to have fun! More fun. More joy. More new adventures. More learning what "fun" is to me. More saying yes to things that scare me. More building my business to the place I want it to be. More supporting Russ in his endeavors. And less fear. Less anxiety. Less stress. Less worry. Less living life on autopilot.

So what exactly will this look like? How do you live life with more fun? What does that even mean? Well, it will look different to everyone. What is fun for me might not be fun for you. And I am not talking about shirking responsibilities either. There will always be things you "have" to do. Work, clean, laundry, children, dog, etc. But just because you have to do it, doesn't mean you can't have fun doing it. I learned from a very wise woman many years ago that you might as well enjoy the things you have to do, like dishes or laundry since you have to do them anyway. Like stop dreading all the things you need to do and instead make it fun or at least enjoyable. Be thankful that you have food to eat and dishes to wash. Be thankful that you have clothes that need washing. Be thankful that you have children that need your attention. Be thankful that you have a job to go to. If you 'have"to do it, you might as well make the most of it. Most of our time is spent doing the mundane or necessary things of life so enjoy the things you do. Life is way too short to dread the majority of it. The other thing is to say yes to things or experiences or places or people that come into your path. Do the new thing. Do something different. Go somewhere you've never been before. Say yes when someone invites you to do something. Do random acts of kindness. This last one is so much fun!

The possibilities are limitless for the fun you can bring into your life on a daily basis. Start by smiling more. Laughing more. Even in 2017 when life was so fragile we still found things to laugh about. The nurses would come into Russ' hospital room just to find out what was so funny. Make someones day. Get outside in the sunshine as often as you can. It helps me tremendously! Saying yes more. Doing something different. These are things that keep life fun and interesting.

So my motto for 2019 is more fun, more joy, more living life to the full instead of just surviving. What will your motto be?

Stay tuned for my next post that will be about why I will never diet again!

Until next time.
Adventure is out there!