3 New Year's Resolutions Worth Making (and Keeping)

We are just over a week into 2018 and with a new year comes new resolutions.  As a self-proclaimed self-help addict, I tend to make lots of grand plans as each new year approaches.  But then real life happens.  I plan my workout but then a kid spills a gallon of milk on the floor and the dog poops in it before tracking it all over the house. In my role as a wife, mother of 4, small-business owner and active member of our church, I am plagued with a constant nagging of how I should be better.  How I could be a better wife, mom, or volunteer.  Or how I should be giving more to my business.  But over the years, I've made a conscious effort to be more realistic.  Not give up on myself, but to give grace to myself.  I still think resolutions are a good idea and here are 3 worth making:

1. Pick something to start doing.  What is it that you have felt convicted to start doing?  Is it eating healthy? Working out? Reading more? Finding community? Developing a skill?  If you're like me, perhaps the answer is all of the above?  The key work here is pick.  Pick 1 (or maybe 2) and really focus on doing it well.

2.  Pick something to stop doing. I don't mean just bad habits here like injecting heroin or picking your nose.  I mean something that, if you are honest with yourself, you don't really have time for.  In this era of extreme busyness,  we have to learn to prioritize our time with our roles.  Maybe you need to drop the book club, or dinner club, or *gasp one of your kid's activities.  Not because any of these things are bad, but because it's the only way you can do the more important things well.

3. Pick a cause. Instead of focusing solely on ourselves, let's focus on the one thing that has scientifically been proven to make us happier, more fulfilled individuals.  Let's focus outward and find ways to be more generous.  What pulls your heartstrings?  Is it animals? Children? The homeless?  There are countless ways for us to use our gifts to bless other people.  Whether it's your time or money, pick a cause and get involved.  When we give to others, we experience more joy in our lives, because people get a lot more joy out of giving than getting.