Vivir bien, querer mucho, reirse a menudo. This plaque rests atop a door way where I cannot miss it every day! It means - Live well, love much, and laugh often. Wise tips for the New Year! As we get closer to a new year, we hear much and read much about New Year's Resolutions - those promises, thoughts, dreams, or commitments we make to ourselves at the end of every year that will supposedly motivate us to change our lifestyle or philosophy of life. Indeed, some of them can be life-changing - life eating healthier, for example. Reminds of a few tips I found once in The Old Farmer's Almanac like:
*Beware of ingredients ending in ose - because they contain sugar
*Eat slowly - to let your brain realize that you are full!
*Eating 3,500 calories equals a pound of extra weight. Working out on a treadmill for an hour burns about 700 calories or less! Think about that one awhile! How long do you have to exercise to burn off that extra pound? Ouch!
Going back to The Old Farmer's Almanac, I also read that it is a wise thing to set yourself up for new learning every year by making a contract with yourself to read at least one book per month. You might need to join a book club at your local library to stick to that resolution or force yourself to read every day for at least a few minutes. Either way it is a good thing to do!
Another good thing to do is to keep a journal--just writing for yourself! It makes good reading when you find yourself confused, exhausted, or stressed-out. Whether you use a spiral notebook or a fancy leather-bound, or simply keep a journal on your computer--it is a good thing to keep you centered and focused. You might want to keep a journal on your personal purchases, on the weather, or your gardening activities. You might want to keep a journal of ideas, drawings, poetry, or music. Keep a notebook or note pad and pen by your bedside and write.
If you pick up your journal and do not know what to write, use a writing prompt and write for 3-5 minutes without stopping. What's a writing prompt? It's a phrase, word, question or statement which helps jog your memory. Here are some examples:
*My favorite Christmas memory...
*My Christmas wish...
*A friend I remember but not longer see...
*I wish I could...
*If I had all the money I needed I would...
*Tell about someone who has influenced your life and explain the influence.
*How I would change my childhood...
*A book I would write...
*A place I would like to visit and why.
*Something new I want to learn.
*My dream is to...
*Someone I miss...
*My greatest fear...
*What I would change about myself...
That's enough to get you started. Here's a challenge: Why not get everyone in the family a journal and have them begin their daily writing habit. You could even have a family journal and record the happenings, achievements, and challenges of each family member. How? Have a weekly family meeting and give the job of writing in the journal to a different family member each week. This journal could be the place where you add pictures, too.
Writing every day is something of a lost art for some people. Make sure that you get your children to write thank you notes for all those Christmas gifts they received! It is not old fashioned - it's the new thing to do!
Writing speaks for you and offers you the opportunity to be creative and to connect with yourself and others!
Live well, love much, laugh often -- all activities that will result from your journaling!
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