Promises promises...

Sitting here at the gym.

Getting ready for noon class.

Decorating with a few little Christmas decorations.

Christmas music cranked up on the stereo.

And..finally…getting into the Christmas spirit.

We don’t get a tree at our place again this year, as December seems to be the month we get a lot of our house building done…so it hasn’t felt much like Christmas around me yet.

Happy today is the day Christmas seems to be on my mind.

With that, however, comes a little bit of reflection.

Now, it’s not the end of 2018. 

So...I am early with my thoughts on this year and what’s ahead for 2019.

I’m not one to make a bunch of New Year Resolutions, because I feel that sets me up for failure. 

Too much pressure…

But on my mind today is promises.

Not resolutions, but promises.

You know, we are really good at keeping promises to other people.  

I mean, that is kind, and respectful, and helpful and just what we do for others.

We promise and we deliver on those promises.   (most of the time ;-))

But what about the promises you keep for yourself?

What have you promised yourself over the years, but never followed through with?

Losing weight starting Monday..or January 1st?

Getting out of a dead end job?

Leaving a relationship that is not nurturing for you?

Taking that class you’ve always wanted to?

Forgiving someone?

Reaching out to someone you’ve lost touch with?

Renovate a room?

Clean out that closet?

Throw away stuff you no longer use?

Read a book?

What are the promises you have made to yourself…but have never kept?

I was thinking about that this morning…as I was in awe at how fast 2018 went, and how I didn’t finish out the promises I kept to myself.

Meh, I got busy.

I didn’t have time.

Those are the excuses I use the most.

But, I know there is time. I know I have time.

I just didn’t put myself very high on my priority list.

So that is what 2019 will be about.  

My promises to myself.

I deserve that.  I deserve to keep my promises to myself.

While some I will keep inside (or write in my gratitude journal)…there are some I will share:

I promise to love myself, no matter what.  To stop judging what I feel is ‘wrong’ with me.  

I promise to forgive myself when I feel I don’t measure up to what I think I am capable of.

I promise to spend more time doing what I love:  being with family, making more calls to those I love, and crafting.

I promise to receive others...their help, their friendship, their love, their gifts, their compliments...because it empowers myself AND the other person.

I promise to read more. Not self help books, not business books…but books that feel good for me.

I promise to spend way less time on electronics.  I work on the computer and am on social media A LOT for the gym, and for my sculpting/painting business.  I get really tired of electronics…so I am excited for this promise!

I promise to get outside for 30 minutes at least, 3 times a week.  Not hard to do at the farm, but I don’t mean working,  I mean to go outside and walk or just breathe in Mother Nature’s beauty.

I promise to feed my body with whole food goodness, which I usually do, but to enough of it.  My challenge is eating enough.  After pretty much starving myself for almost 40 years, this is a real challenge and one I work on daily.  Yes, even though I know better, it is still my biggest challenge. Aren’t we all a work in progress?  ;-)

Those are the ones I am putting into practice…now….not waiting for January 1.

One big promise…..I promise not to beat myself up any longer for the things I struggle with. 

Confidence, self-image, comparing myself to others, feeling less than, my body issues, my short legs, my big hips….

I’m just done with disappointing myself over and over again.

God forbid I should disappoint anyone else…why am I that less important?

So, when you have a moment…think about the things you’ve been promising yourself..repeatedly..and never following up with it. 

You can share with me, if you like. Just simply email me back!

Or jot them down somewhere, and see how you do.

Again, no right or wrong here…just learning to take of you too..

Yours in keeping your promises....to yourself...

~Michele