Don't put off until tomorrow...

I am a horrid procrastinator. I'm probably the best procrastinator (who actually finishes the job) you will ever meet. (With the exception of my daughter's friend who has been known to begin lengthy term papers at 3 am when they are due at 8 am that day)  That said, you should know that this is one of those "Do as I say, not as I do" moments.

Saturday is New Year's Eve. We all begin another year, and for some reason we've told ourselves that we can start with a clean slate. Of course, that doesn't mean that we face the world in perfection. After all, we are carrying in some baggage in the form of extra body fat, unfinished house hold chores, a lengthy "honey do" list, and probably a few "I'm sorry's" that have not been said. For some reason people still feel like this is the magic date that will allow all the flaws to float away. We can reset those goals that have seemed to fail each previous year, and we can do this with new hope.

Hog wash. (Sorry to burst your romantic bubble)

We all have things about ourselves that we wish were different. Unfortunately, we have a broken way to fix our bad habits that only allows January 1st for us to begin. What we neglect to remember is that these poor habits (or extra pounds) did not arrive quite as quickly as we're hoping they will leave. We have become the person we are over time, and it will take time to change that person.

Failing is part of life. We all fail. Can you imagine what kind of a person we would be if we succeeded at everything that we tried? We would probably begin to have a god complex. Yes, there are those people out there who seem to be good at everything, but they are not. In fact, most people often dwell on their short comings rather than their strengths. Why? I guess it's human nature. We want to fix it. It's easier to accept the bad in ourselves than to see the best. When we do fail, it's easy to want to give up. It's easy to give up on a new years resolution, because we "messed up" once. It's not so easy to give up a life style we are trying to build, realizing that "messing up" will happen.

In other words... Give up on the annual new years resolutions. Make the list of the qualities of the person you want to be, add in a few goal for each item on the list, and look at that list every day. At the end of each day, you may have fallen short in a few areas. However, tomorrow is another day that you will work to become that person. With perseverance you will find that each tomorrow will bring you that much closer to the person you want to be.

Remember, it's a daily way of life... not a weak resolution. Don't give up.

Maybe I should write more often...

I have to confess, it's been so long since I wrote last that I forgot how to start a new post.  Just in case there really is anyone out there reading, you should know that I don't want to write just to write. There are plenty of bloggers already doing that, and the world doesn't need another one. That said, I will try to write about my life lessons, thoughts, ideas and other things that I think may be helpful to my kids some day.

It's the Christmas season. Only 3 shopping days left! ...and of course, I'm not sure what else I need to get. Maybe I should start that list I was going to make a while back. Or maybe I'll be the one surprised on Christmas when everyone opens the gifts and I realize I forgot someone... oops.

My thoughts on the season are simple:

1. Christmas should be more about each of us celebrating the day Christ was given to us as a baby. It should be a private celebration between us and God that can be put into action by giving of ourselves, our time and our wealth to others in a sacrificial way that, in a small way, reflects His original gift.

2. Buying gifts for people who don't need (and often don't want) them is a waste of time, money and resources that can go to help those who do need those resources.

3. None of us can do EVERYTHING to help make this world a better place. But EVERYONE can do SOMETHING to do just that. ...and not just this time of year, but this is a good time to begin doing something every day.

People look forward to this time of year, because they get "warm fuzzies" from seeing all the good in the world. Why can't we have that all year? The answer is that we can. It only takes one person to buy a stranger's coffee in the drive through, be a good listener, or just smile and tell someone they look great today to start a chain reaction that can reach around the world. Just think... if we commit to do something for someone else once a day...  what a difference we could make in our little part of the world.

I hope you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! May God Bless you today, and always!