New Years resolutions, they're so cliche, right? But for some reason, it works for me. I find myself driven by a new chance at life. It works for my birthday as well, a time when I can reflect on what I have accomplished, and a time for self reflection on who I want to become.
Recently, the Sister Missionaries serving in our ward asked me what my New Year's resolution was going to be, and the very first thing that escaped my lips was "love myself". Now honestly, I'm not really quite sure why I answered so fast or why that was what I decided to say, but it came out of my mouth none-the-less. I pondered my answer for another week before the New Year, and decided that loving myself was exactly what the Lord wanted me to do, and exactly what would help fix the myriad of problems I feel I have accumulated over the last couple of years as I have wallowed in depression, and self-pity. This epiphany then caused me to ask what loving my self would entail. That was a really hard assesment of my weakness, and was one that forced me to address big self doubt issues that I have.
Anyway, not to get to mired down in the ugly part of my problems, but I came up with an answer to the questions I was asking of myself and they are as follows.
1.) Loving myself means going to the gym everyday, dang it! I need to quit quitting on me! I need to create healthy endorphins that will cause me to feel happier with life, while at the same time helping me to lose unwanted weight that I have gained as part of my wallowing party! It means going to the gym even when I can come up with "valid" excuses to stay home and work on any of the other projects I have going on. It means putting my health and happiness over projects and business. It is a long term commitment that will give me results as I practice patience and perseverance.
2.) Loving myself means not giving up on my diet time after time because I don't feel like I will ever see results. It means eating healthy 95% of the time and then giving myself wiggle room for special things that come up in life and then not beating myself up for enjoying those special occasions.
3.) Loving myself means taking time for me to fill my cup. That entails spiritual, emotional, or physical. It means not putting the dress back on the shelf because I have guilt over spending money on me. It means getting my eyebrows done, or taking 20 min. to paint my fingernails, or taking a bath from time to time. It means finding those things that make me feel special and then doing them because I deserve it as much as my husband and children and friends deserve to feel special. It means seeing that my happiness has value.
4.) Loving myself means being still. When I was in the Orlando LDS Temple the other day and when I passed by a painting of a woman kneeled in prayer, I had a thought that I don't take the time to be still enough. I pray, I read scriptures, but when do I slow down to listen? Sometimes the spiritual become a checklist for me just like everything else that I need to get done in a 24 hour period. My Heavenly Father is going to have a hard time getting through to me if I don't do as the scripture says Psalms 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God...".
So there it is, a laundry list of things I need to fix about me. So far, I'm doing fairly well! I have met my gym goals for 3 weeks, I have eaten healthy most of the time, and I have bought some new clothes that make me feel better about me. I'm working on being patient with me as I learn about how to be a better me.
Recently, the Sister Missionaries serving in our ward asked me what my New Year's resolution was going to be, and the very first thing that escaped my lips was "love myself". Now honestly, I'm not really quite sure why I answered so fast or why that was what I decided to say, but it came out of my mouth none-the-less. I pondered my answer for another week before the New Year, and decided that loving myself was exactly what the Lord wanted me to do, and exactly what would help fix the myriad of problems I feel I have accumulated over the last couple of years as I have wallowed in depression, and self-pity. This epiphany then caused me to ask what loving my self would entail. That was a really hard assesment of my weakness, and was one that forced me to address big self doubt issues that I have.
Anyway, not to get to mired down in the ugly part of my problems, but I came up with an answer to the questions I was asking of myself and they are as follows.
1.) Loving myself means going to the gym everyday, dang it! I need to quit quitting on me! I need to create healthy endorphins that will cause me to feel happier with life, while at the same time helping me to lose unwanted weight that I have gained as part of my wallowing party! It means going to the gym even when I can come up with "valid" excuses to stay home and work on any of the other projects I have going on. It means putting my health and happiness over projects and business. It is a long term commitment that will give me results as I practice patience and perseverance.
2.) Loving myself means not giving up on my diet time after time because I don't feel like I will ever see results. It means eating healthy 95% of the time and then giving myself wiggle room for special things that come up in life and then not beating myself up for enjoying those special occasions.
3.) Loving myself means taking time for me to fill my cup. That entails spiritual, emotional, or physical. It means not putting the dress back on the shelf because I have guilt over spending money on me. It means getting my eyebrows done, or taking 20 min. to paint my fingernails, or taking a bath from time to time. It means finding those things that make me feel special and then doing them because I deserve it as much as my husband and children and friends deserve to feel special. It means seeing that my happiness has value.
4.) Loving myself means being still. When I was in the Orlando LDS Temple the other day and when I passed by a painting of a woman kneeled in prayer, I had a thought that I don't take the time to be still enough. I pray, I read scriptures, but when do I slow down to listen? Sometimes the spiritual become a checklist for me just like everything else that I need to get done in a 24 hour period. My Heavenly Father is going to have a hard time getting through to me if I don't do as the scripture says Psalms 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God...".
So there it is, a laundry list of things I need to fix about me. So far, I'm doing fairly well! I have met my gym goals for 3 weeks, I have eaten healthy most of the time, and I have bought some new clothes that make me feel better about me. I'm working on being patient with me as I learn about how to be a better me.
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