In the upcoming 2010, my oldest child will turn 20! TWENTY!!! Holy Cow, Batman!!! That one's somewhat hard to swallow. I have another child who will start high school in the fall. Almost all of them are taller than I am, only the youngest one has yet to pass me up. Yeah, I know I'm not that tall to begin with ... but so what?
I have decided to pen, if you will, my intentions for 2010 during the month of December to get a healthy jump start. I have always been a big believer in the power of the written word, and I have always been one to write down my goals, aspirations, and resolutions, or in the last few years, my intentions.
What's the difference between a resolution and an intention? A resolution can be defined as the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc. I am not a fan of resolutions. An intention, on the other hand, is defined as an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result. I like intention better. An intent is more the state of a person's mind that directs his or her actions toward a specific object. I believe that this makes intentions more achievable and attainable ... You can do ANYTHING if you set your mind to it!
For many, they pen their resolutions with the best of intentions. They start off with a bang, but never give it time to develop and change or grow. It takes approximately three weeks to develop new habits ... 21 days. If you can stick with something for 21 days, you can almost gurantee your success in that change of behavior. I intend to do the things I say I am going to do, and I intend to start NOW so that by the time January 1st rolls around, I will be more than ready to tackle 2010! Time for new outlooks and new beginnings, as I have a deep desire to change for the BETTER!
So, without further hesitation, here are "Row.'s Intentions for 2010"
I intend to be a better parent. I know that my children are older, but it can never be too late to desire to be better for your children. I write this down every year, and I believe that I do get better, but that there is always room for improvement. Someone once wrote, "If I had my child to raise all over again, I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less. I'd do less correcting and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously... play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging." I like that. I love my children more than anything. They are definately the BEST parts of me, my biggest and most cherished accomplishments. I may complain about them from time to time, but I would NEVER trade them for any other. For this, they deserve better of me.
I intend to be a better wife. You would think that after how ever many years that Chris and I have been together and married, that this would be a given. Marriage is HARD work, but I am truly thankful to have been blessed with the husband and partner that I have. He is definately the better half of the two of us. He loves me unconditionally, and tolerates my lability because God knows how labile I am. I sometimes believe that he deserves better, but he continually tells me that I am the best. For him, I will strive to be the best that he deserves.
I intend to eat better. Hahaha! This intention will definately be the most challenging for me. I don't eat "bad," but it's the little things that make a big difference in my weight. You know, a handful of chips here and there, that one "little" candy bar, a taste of this, a taste of that ... it all adds up! My intention is to eat more healthful, to pen what I put into my mouth, and to make better choices.
I intend to workout with even more vigor and passion. I feel as if I have cheated myself this last year ... it's time to amp it back up and kick it into high gear!
I intend to take my workouts up to another level. This means, that there are several parts to this intention:
**I intend to do some type of physical exercise 4-6 days/week.
**I intend to run at least 6 organized running events this year. My intent is to run a few 10ks, but at least 4 Half-Marathons. (I will start another blog with my event dates for 2010.)
**I intend to become a member of the Half-Fanatics ...
**I intend to improve my running time by at least one minute/mile.
**I intend to drop my body fat below 23% by eating healthfully and mindfully, and by amping up my workouts. This IS very attainable. (I will start a fitness journey blog, complete with NASTY pictures to document the transformation.)
**I intend to pen my physical activities and daily food intake daily. I have my journal ready!
**I intend to return to Kickboxing and Krav Maga. This is, by far, the BEST workout I have ever had. I've missed it over the last year. I love the atmosphere, the energy, the sweat. I love the energy expenditure, the feeling of being totally spent and wanting to throw up, yet still having the feeling of being so STRONG!
**I intend to utilize my free gym membership to its fullest. I am so thankful to have free gym membership thru work!
**I intend to gain more muscle definition ... "to get cut," if you will.
**I intend to encourage my friends to jump on my fitness boat!
I intend to be an even better parent to my daughter. For those of you that know, it's not a secret that my daughter is by far my biggest challenge. She has her "challenges" and has a few "issues" that need working on. It is my intent to strive to offer and find her the best that life has to offer. It is difficult for me to list all the things that I intend for her here, but know that I will work hard to ensure that she receives everything that she deserves to have great experiences in school, at home, and everywhere else. It is also my intent to remember that this is HER life, not mine, and that it's NOT about me! I love my girl ... she is the sweetest child!
I intend to purge all that is no longer working in my life ... whatever it may be ... things, people, etc. ... if it's not working it's going. That may sound crass when I speak of people, but I choose to be around positive individuals. I choose not to have Energy Vampires to suck the life out of me. God knows that that is not who I desire to be around.
I intend to choose my words wisely. I am not much of a speaker, but when I speak, I will choose to speak in the positive light or not speak at all. This may be tricky as I may have to remind myself to think before I speak. I have been known to "think out loud" or to speak before I give it much thought. I joke that my "sensor" or my "filter" is broken at times so this may prove to be another challenge. Honestly though, I believe that what comes out of my mouth first is the truth, but it comes out rather harshly. It is not my intent to harm anyone with my words because I know that once spoken they are hard to take back. I know the harm that words can inflict - it's the worst pain. Keep your words sweet because you may have to eat them ... Yeah, I know, I know!
I know that my list of intentions appears short. There are many more out there that I have yet to list. For now, this is a good start. I can always edit and add later. I've always loved New Year's Resolutions ... It's almost as if the World was saying, "Here's your chance, a clean slate, a chance to start anew, fresh." I would keep my list to see how many I actually accomplished ... This year will not be different. Next year, I'll pull out my list and see just how many I was able to conquer! Who's with me? Get your list going ... =)
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