Part 3? nope....I'm a quitter

So this post is supposed to be part 3 of the year in review. But you know...I really couldn't bring myself to post 2011 things in 2012. Instead...

Goals.

Most of us have them. How often do we reach them? I don't think I have ever written out goals or resolutions before the year starts. Why not start? I always have a ton of things that I want to accomplish so I think it's best to narrow it down to the things that I really want to do.

Like for example...run a half marathon! I know. It's kind of a reach since I'm not super excited about running. Ever. But, for goal sake, I told myself that I wasn't going to have another baby until I did something pretty awesome. It's usually always " well when I get down to my marriage weight". See how well that worked...two kids later. So aside from losing some pounds which is always on the list, I'm going to run a half marathon. I've already picked it out and everything. So the first step in getting this accomplished is registering for it. 

Weight. It's always a goal. But I think I'm going to scale it back and just shoot for 15 lbs. I have more than that to lose but it's a struggle to lose one at this point. Not for lack of trying either. I'm going to switch some things around in the working out department and hopefully that will help. But 15 lbs, that's where I'm at. And it will be awesome to achieve it!

I actually just read an article HERE that sums up one (large) aspect of my new year. It's all about positive thinking. This past year in particular has really shown me how much your thoughts play a role in life. I think I have made some huge strides in the right direction, but I would really like to make some more.  I'll include the article at the end if you want to read it. 

I would also like to be a better person and mother. Some characteristics I'm shooting for:

Kind

Thoughtful

Patient

Selfless

 I think I am these things in a small degree. No, I'm not tooting my own horn. Quite the opposite actually. I want these things to be a part of me. I would like kind thoughts and actions be a part of my everyday life. I'd like to get the impression and act on sending someone a "thinking of you" card or calling when I think I should. I have been the recipient of those things and I love how I feel. I love that someone thought and acted upon those inspirations. So I think if I can work on that it will help me to be a better wife, mother and friend.

 So what about you? Any life changing goals on your plate?

You can read the article 

below

Living the Abundant Life

At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.

Have a Positive Attitude

A in my ABCs refers to attitude. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”¹

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment.

Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”²

We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.

Believe in Yourself

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

Be honest with yourself, with others, and with your Heavenly Father. One who was not honest with God until it was too late was Cardinal Wolsey who, according to Shakespeare, spent a long life in service to three sovereigns and enjoyed wealth and power. Finally, he was shorn of his power and possessions by an impatient king. Cardinal Wolsey cried:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.³

Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”⁴

Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.

You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith.

Face Challenges with Courage

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.

Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”⁵

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember—David did win!

Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.

Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

May we remember these ABCs as we begin our journey into the new year, cultivating a positive attitude, a belief that we can achieve our goals and resolutions, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come our way. Then the abundant life will be ours.