2016 New Year's Resolutions...To Make or Not To Make...

Do you make resolutions for the New Year?
I haven't for awhile now,

but I'm thinking I might this year. 

Whether you call it a resolution, goal or whatever,

the New Year seems like a good time for a fresh start.

According to Forbes Magazine, 92% of people who make resolutions break them.

Or never even start working on them.

The most common resolutions are the following:

Lose Weight/Be healthier

Quit Smoking

Pay off Credit Card Debts/Save Money

Be More Organised

Be Nicer/A Better friend

I think this one is good...............

But that's just me:)  I like driving people crazy! lol

Or how about this one I made up earlier, as a joke.............

but now that I think about it, I like it!

Anyway, there are a few things every expert

say would help us keep our resolutions or achieve our goals.
(not me......I'm no expert for sure:)

The first thing is to simply start!

That's it...........just START!

Sounds simple but trust me, it's the hardest step for some of us.

Personally I think we should "start" without a lot of fanfare.

Just quietly go about doing it.  That's what I'm gonna do.

Just chip away at it.

The next key to success is to keep going!

Don't give up.  Even if you screw up and blow your resolution, just start over

and keep going.  Who is watching and judging anyways?

Nobody should be.........so ignore anyone who is quick to point out that you failed in 

your resolutions.   That one IS simple.

Third, make it an achievable goal.  Not some crazy hard thing............

something you have at least a chance to accomplish.

Actually, this might be the very best one:)

Just be YOU!

I swear that comparison is a terrible enemy of ours.  

And like it or not, social media.............and I mean all social media, as well as TV, doesn't help much.  Everyone talks about their perfect life and amazing marriage and blah blah blah.  

Let's be real...........we're all doing the best we can on a daily basis.

Or most of us.  I believe that.

Rather than a "resolution", how about filling out something like this next list..........

more of a to-do list for the year.

I like that!

You may be wondering what mine are.

I guess I better figure that out in the next 45 minutes, right?

I'm thinking of the following.

-I want to lose weight but instead of saying "lose 20 lbs", 

i'm saying this.....I want to exercise a minimum of 3 days a week.  

Just do something Suzanne.

-And I want to cut out sugar as much as I can.  

-There is a program in town for people with MS where you can do free group horseback riding..........and I love riding, so I want to do that.

-I do a lot of projects.  I see new ones and start them without finishing old ones.

i want to stop doing that, and focus on just a few.  And learn to do them well.

-I would love to read one good book every week but I'm not sure that is attainable, so I will say every 2 weeks.

-I want to laugh more.  Just laugh.  And not stress.

-And I want to borrow one from Shondra Rimes and "say yes" more.

That may be my tough one;)

But if I fail at all of them, it'll be ok if I simply do the following............

 whatever you decide to do in 2016,

I wish you the best, happiest, healthiest year yet, 

filled with many blessings.

XOXOXOXOXO

Suzanne

2015........It's Here! What are you going to do with it?

Happy 2015!

Time for the million dollar question......

Did you make a New Year's Resolution?

Maybe the question should be, what IS a New Year's Resolution?

Well, the official definition is this

New Year's Resolution: a commitment that an individual makes at New Year's Day

Okaaaay.......  

 I'll be honest.

I haven't made resolutions for years.

I think they're stupid.

And for many of us, they quickly lead to discouragement.

But then I realized I may be going about this all wrong.

I say things like "I'm going to lose weight."

Or "I'm going to exercise every day."

Who am I kidding?

Maybe I simply need to say "I would like to lose 15 lbs."

Then when I do, maybe I'll want to lose more.

Or "I would like to exercise more, so every other night I am going to

leave my exercise clothes handy to put on first thing in the morning."

These aren't really resolutions, they are more like game plans.

I could say "I'll make my bed first thing every morning:)"

Resolutions sound like "resolve", which sounds like "if you screw up, there goes another year down the tube."

When that IS NOT what this is about, I'm positive of that.

So this year I am making them, but my way.  

I'm putting the two above on my list.

And a few others.

Such as........

~ I would like to spend time with my extended family.  

Something I have been EXTREMELY

negligent about, but I would like to fix that throughout the year.

~ I would like to cultivate my friendships and possibly make a few new friends.

Friends I don't have to see, but would like to spend time with.

Chatting, drinking coffee, laughing.......being a friend.

~ I would like to eat healthier.  Less sugar.  MUCH less sugar.

Stuff like that.  Not to lose weight, but to feel better.

~ I would like to have a few outfits for each season that I can put on at

a moment's notice.......to have lunch with a friend, 

shop in a nice store, go to dinner with my husband.......

~  I want to entertain more.  

It seems as if it's all about "going out to dinner", 

and I love that as much as the next person.

But this year, I hope to open the doors to my lovely home a bit more often.

~ I would like to take a "girl's trip" with my two favorite girls in the whole world.

We used to do this......and it's a good time to start up again.  

We're thinking Texas for the Roundtop Antiques Fair.

Yep, you can call me Rachel Ashwell if you like;)

~ I would like to work on saying no if I need to and not feel guilty.

Also, taking those lazy days in stride when I can't seem to get moving.

~ I like to be happy.  Who doesn't.

But I often let the little details of the day steal my happiness, so for 2015,

I want to be genuinely HAPPY.

Totally, absolutely, crazy, stinkin happy.

That's me.

I hope:)

~ I'm going to try to be more organized.

I NEED to be more organized.

But I have a problem that seems to make this a REALLY difficult task some days.

I hope I don't miss anything important, but I vow to not be so hard on myself

when this happens.

~ I love having a blog, but you wouldn't know by how little I post.

This year, I hope to change that.

Hope.  I HOPE to change that.

Maybe I will, maybe I won't........but I do hope so.

So there you go.

My Resolutions for 2015.

Notice I didn't say "New Year's" resolution.

I personally think we set ourselves up for disaster by starting this on a Holiday.

But that's just me:)

Okay my friends,

There's my two cents worth on the subject.

It's taken me 50 years to figure this out.

And I'm STILL not sure I have.

But that's ok.

I think this will work for me.

I would like to wish y'all a very HAPPY new year.

The bright, sparkly, shiny kind of new year.

You deserve that.  Me too. i'm sure of it:)

God Bless!

Suzanne 

One AMAZING New Years Resolution We Can All Keep in 2013. . . . . .

i didn't want to do the usual resolution/new year's post,

mainly because most resolutions are the same every year.

we all want to lose weight, exercise more, get in shape. . . . .

some want to quit smoking or drinking,

cut sugar or caffeine,

others want to save more money.

all great ideas. . . . . .

yet we still manage to give up on them

 sooner rather than later.

at least, most of us do.

so i didn't want to do the typical post.

but i DO have an idea for a resolution that is

 SUPER simple to do and to keep,

and could make a difference in YOUR life 

and the life of someone else.

are you ready?

got a pencil and paper handy?

here you go.

with much thought on my own part,

as well as inspiration from many others in various places,

my suggestion for a new years resolution is this:

S
M
I
L
E

M
O
R
E

yep, that's it!

smile more.

okay, okay. . . . . 

don't check out yet.

this is a good one, trust me.

stick with me and i'll explain why.

come on, didn't you smile when you saw this picture?

there must've been someone who made you smile.

and if anyone was looking at you,

they would've seen you smile and it might have made them smile.

it's like a SNOWBALL effect.

a few happy facts~ ~ ~

It takes seventeen muscles to smile but it takes forty-three to frown.

smiling is EASIER!

you don't have to feel happy to smile.

Studies show that when you smile something wonderful happens within your body.

 When we smile, we release into our body a feel good chemical message 

known as an endorphins. You feel happier. 

Endorphins have the ability to make you feel happy, 

and whenever you smile, you release them.

 So even if you are not happy when you begin to smile, you might be afterwards, 

and the more often that you smile, the happier you will feel. 

Smiling has also been proven to be contagious,

 so you have the power to make other people smile.

 You can do this by simply passing a smile to someone else.

Pretty cool, huh?

Maybe all you have to do to make someone happy is to smile at them.

 A smile is infectious. Try it.

 Smile at someone on the street, 

and odds are you will make that person smile back at you.

then they'll be releasing their own endorphins.

and so on and so on:)

(hmmm. . . . i think he's smiling, but i'm not sure:)

Smiling at someone might make their day seem a bit better,

make them feel a little happier,

maybe make them forget their troubles of the moment. . . .

physical or emotional.

some people will think you're crazy.

they just aren't used to someone smiling at them.

that's okay.  you're doing this for you and if it rubs off on others,

GREAT!

but you'll be doing your part, 

and its so easy to do.

it's been proven, a smile is powerful. 

 it can heal emotional pain,

even if temporarily, and sometimes physical pain.

think about it. . . .there are people who don't know what it's like to

receive a smile.

it can make them feel encouragement and acceptance.

a smile can calm fear and anxiety.

okay, what do you think?

do you like the idea?

i hope so:)

just so you know,

i'm not some smiling POLLYANNA.

not that it would be a bad thing, but i'm not:)

i have my good days and bad.

my personal struggles and concerns.

i often feel overwhelmed and helpless.

but i'm told. . . .often. . . .that people like my smile.

and i didn't even know i was smiling.

i've had sales people thank me and my daughters for walking in

with a SMILE.

So maybe there is something to this.

do you see why i said it was the ONE resolution we ALL

could and should do?

it's easy and might just make a huge difference.

so why not?

it's easier than dieting:)

i hope you'll join me.

i'll be the lady driving around town in a cute mini cooper,

smiling. . . . .for me and for you.

here are a few more thoughts on smiling.

i think this one by Maya Angelou is

 ESPECIALLY important to remember;

“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don’t be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning “Good morning” at total strangers.”

~ Maya Angelou

so please remember to smile first at home,

THEN go out the door and smile at others:)

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”

~ Mark Twain

i'm honestly happy with my laugh lines.

how can i not be???

they came from smiling:)

 Happy New Year!

xoxoxo

Suzanne