Another year, another opportunity to look back and remember the many blessings, hardships, and opportunities that met us along the way. But the new year is also an opportunity to look forward and set new goals, hopes, and dreams. I have never been much of a resolution setter...I know too many of the statistics that say most people will abandon them by Valentine's Day (which I can admit, any resolution of losing weight is completely lost as I sit on my couch alone, eating chocolates and wallowing in my own lack of a love life :). However this year I have decided to set some attainable goals (with most credit going to my friend Krista, who is most inspiring in setting her own resolutions this year). Guided by three categories, I made a list of physical, mental, and spiritual resolutions. Ranging in commitment and importance, I have finally settled on 10 resolutions for 2013. Starting small with things like "drink more water" and "get more sleep" to running a 1/2 marathon and sticking to a budget (yes, sticking to a budget is just as hard, if not more so, than training to run 13.1 miles), I am looking forward to seeing all resolutions through to completion.
However, I don't think you can just make a list and expect it to complete itself. So in effort to keep myself accountable, I made a nice (and if I do say so myself, quite country-chic looking) framed list of resolutions on my night stand as a daily reminder to myself. **Just another reason Pinterest is in fact, a great resource and not a waste of time...usually**. I have also just made all of you accountability partners through your willingness to read this post. You're welcome.
While vacationing with family over the holidays, my aunt came up with a pretty fantastic idea that I have been sharing with friends ever since. She challenged us to come up with a "word of the year", something we would commit to implementing more throughout 2013. For example, she spent most of last year working to "inspire" others around her. This year, my uncle is focusing on the word "rejuvenate" working towards optimal health. Again, I think this is a great activity and I have been really thinking and praying about what word I would choose. Today, I really felt like God put the idea of "mindfulness" on my heart. After a little research and thought, I have finally decided that this will be my word for 2013. To be honest, I was kind of hoping for a cooler, more important sounding word...there are so many other options like "empower, strength, inspire, fearless, thankful...", what the heck does "mindful" even mean?
I'm glad you asked.
mind·ful: attentive, aware, careful.
Synonyms: heedful, thoughtful, regardful.
Again, let me stress that this would not have been my first pick. However, I have found a place for mindfulness in many aspects of my life. For those of you who have known me for any length of time, you can attest to the frequency in which I lose my phone, keys, or both. When it comes to daily tasks, I am in desperate need of more awareness and attention--being mindful of the tasks at hand!!
On a deeper and more important level, I often tend to be selfish and self-centered. God calls us to be mindful of the needs of others and use our time and resources to serve in His love. This year I am committing to helping meet the needs of others and being more mindful of the concerns of those around me. Finally I am realizing my biggest concern in the area of mindfulness is in my own spiritual life. It is so easy to invest time and energy, emotion and hope, into things of this world, things that don't matter. We must look at life through an eternal perspective, focusing on God and what His purpose is for our lives.
For example, I went to a yoga class yesterday, which let me stress, is entirely unrelated to the "spiritual life" I am referencing too--while some people seek a sort of spiritual experience through this sort of exercise, I simply use it as an excuse to lie on a mat with the lights off. Anyways...during the portion of the class where we do just that, when we are suppose to be clearing our minds and letting go of any stress, I couldn't help but dwell on the fact that I had purchased a book earlier that day, even though I had just received a gift card to Barnes and Noble. I was so annoyed with myself that I had wasted money on something I could've gotten for free (again, an area of mindfulness that could use some work...:) But in the big picture, did it really matter?! Was it really worth any bit of my emotion or worry? Not at all! Yes, it is important to be financially responsible, which coincidentally happens to be another one of my resolutions. However it is not worth our time and energy to worry about such little things. God has much bigger purposes for our lives, and I want to be more mindful and aware of what I am spending my time thinking about and doing on a daily basis.
So 2013, I welcome you with high expectations and new resolutions. I embrace you with hopes of being more mindful in the days ahead. Happy New Year everyone :)
XO,
S
Also--in the case of anyone who was worried, I will be returning the book and purchasing it from B&N with my gift card. :)
