January Blues

November and December are so full of excitement and activity that January seems almost disappointing once the decorations are down and put away in the attic again. I love all the glitter and shine of the holidays! It makes me smile to walk around the neighborhood and stand in awe of all my neighbors creative accomplishments with blinking lights and Christmas lawn decor. Now, after the 12 days of Christmas are done, all the lawns are bear and rather sad looking.

January is a time for re-evaluating our goals and starting anew. Some of us get overwhelmed with the prospect of it all. We ask ourselves, "What do I want to do differently this year than last?" And, "What is still left undone from my previous list of goals?" It can be enough to make one want to sit down on the couch and escape into M.A.S.H. or I Love Lucy reruns.

I've read a few articles and blogs lately where people are touting "unresolutions" instead of resolutions. I'm on board with that line of thinking. It certainly makes it easier to talk about what you won't do (inertia) versus what you will do (take action). People seem to naturally lean towards inertia for some reason. I have to work hard to convince my clients to concentrate on what they can do. But, what if not doing something is a good thing and leads to something positive. I suppose it's all in how you look at it, right?

Let's make it a game! I'll start.

I will not clean up my son's room for him just because I can't stand it anymore.
I will not waste my mind or time watching silly TV shows when I could be reading a good book.
I will not obsess over being disorganized as it's fairly obvious after all these years that organization is just not in my DNA.
I will not miss an opportunity to play boardgames with my family just because the laundry is piled up. (They can help me with it after I've beaten there socks off in Monopoly. I'll even pay them with my fake millions!)
I will not get frustrated about my son's baseball schedule because he's growing up and I will never get this opportunity again.
I will not say "Yes" to things that bring out my passive-aggressive tendencies.

There. Now it's your turn. Happy New Year!