New Year's Solutions, Not Resolutions.



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A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the radio in the car while on my way into town. During a break in the music, a man's voice came on talking about how resolutions is just trying the same solution again and again. (I'm paraphrasing here, and I believe it was David Jeremiah speaking.) It made me think about how some say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Hmmmm.... sounds just about right in regards to every New Years. I have plenty of things I want to change, but by February, I'm done with it. I run out of resolve, interest or just didn't really plan to begin with. This year will be different. And I'm going to tell you how and why.

1. First and foremost, making changes is not a battle, but a war. Their will be many battles to win, steps to take. (I'm not sure if I like this analogy, but it sounds bold and aggressive, so I'll keep it for now!) In other words, you can't expect everything all at once.
2. Secondly, I will have done my research. No one goes into battle with out knowing anything about warfare, or their enemy. They do some reconnaissance, learn what they can. Then they make a battle plan.
3. Now it's time for support. No one heads into battle alone. Even David wasn't alone when facing Goliath. The Lord was with him, and He is with us as well. Pray for wisdom, strength, self-control, perseverance and anything else you feel you need to help you overcome. And then enlist the help of a very good friend or two to be there for you. Tell them what changes you would like to make and ask them for their prayer, support, and accountability. Maybe you can return the favor if they have things they are working on, too. Perhaps you will even find they are working on the same goals.
4. The next thing to remember, is to be flexible. Things don't always go as we had originally plan, and battle plans need to be revised. Don't throw in the towel, just take a step back and make necessary changes. And sometimes there will be skirmishes between the battles that you might lose. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off  and analyze what happened. Then use that information to move forward and win the next battle. Don't beat yourself up or give in. Pray and call on your support troops.
5. Celebrate your victories, and praise the Lord for them, too.

Now, I know I could probably go on some more, but I'm not an expert and I don't want to bore you all. Plus, I'd like to share some of my own New Year's Solutions.

•  My first NYS is to use more natural products for my body and hair. I have been doing research on this for a while now, but haven't really put much into practice until this past week. I started with a baby step of going with the "no 'poo" method. Before you get grossed out or indignant with me, it simply means that I have stopped using commercial shampoo to wash my hair. I now use a solution of 1 Tbsp. baking soda in 1 C. water to "wash" my hair and 1 Tbsp. ACV in 1C of H20 to "condition" my ends. So far, so good. My hair doesn't get as oily as it did, but the ends feel dry. I'm sticking with it, though because I know that my hair is still adjusting. You can read more about the no 'poo method over on Heidi's blog,Frantically Simple. She has plenty more info and some more links. I'll share more on my other going natural goals in future posts.
• My next NYS is to drink more. More water, that is! Most days I realize around 3 p.m. that I haven't had anything to drink since my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. That is not good. I know this, everyone knows that you need to drink an adequate amount of fluids to be healthy. So now I need to come up with a plan to drink more water.
• Next is to include breakfast and lunch into my menu planning. (This goes hand in hand with my next NYS, so stayed tune) Right now, I only plan our dinners. It didn't seem to make much since to plan breakfast and lunch when the kids and Shawn take lunch to school/work and breakfast is usually a hurried affair for the kids 5 out of 7 days a week. I've been thinking lately that we all need to eat healthier and that I want to include more homemade foods in our daily diet. So I'd like to plan what I make for week day breakfasts and lunches, as well as what I make for myself. I sometimes skip lunch when I'm home, or grab what ever is easiest (which is frequently the least healthiest.) Breakfast is rarely skipped unless I head out early to grocery shop or run errands, but then my sugar crashes before I get home and I end up having to buy something to help bring my sugar back up. Not good for my body or my purse. So know I will be more intentional when it comes to meal planning.

I have many more NYS I would like to share, but this has become a long post and I'm sure we all have more to get done tonight. Have a very safe and happy New Year's!
Blessings,
Kelly