It’s all about who? Me! That’s right! I’m beginning to think about the changes I want to make in the coming year. Like most people, I tend to get reflective at the end of the year, and can I just say that this one has absolutely FLOWN by? I don’t know where you guys are, but I am still somewhere in May or June. It certainly canNOT be the end of December already. No way. Sigh.

Several years ago, I quit making resolutions, because I found that they set me up for failure. Resolutions are so black and white, go or no go, you either do or do not do them. What if I resolve to read a chapter of the Bible every day, and then I get sick, and sleep the clock around, or one of my kids is life-flighted to the hospital, and I lose track of time and midnight creeps past me unnoticed? What if I decide to ride one of those exercise bikes 4 days per week, but I go on vacation and there is no bike there, but only a treadmill? Both of those scenarios lead to a failure to keep your resolution and neither of them is your fault. Now, if you resolve to eat a more balanced diet, and then sit down and eat an entire bag of oreos, that’s on you, okay?

Goals on the other hand, work so much much better for me. If my goal is to read a chapter a day, and I miss an occasional day, I can still look back and say I made substantial progress. Same with the bike and most other things we set ourselves up to accomplish. Sorry, still can’t think of a justification for the bag of oreos.

Another thing that sets me up for failure is that I am compelled to track stuff. Did I do it today? I have a real issue with scheduling and list making and checking stuff off. My very best friend in the entire world at the time looked at me one day and said, “You are so anal”. And I looked right back at her and said, “I know”. I am what I am and there is no denying it, so whatever I decide to work on, I need a simple method of scheduling it and keeping track of it, or I am going to get totally frustrated. Hehe, a side effect of being 40 is that you’ve come to know yourself just a little bit *grin*.

I think over the coming days, I will be doing a series of posts on my goals for the year in various areas. I think I sorta started on that back in spring or summer, but I got sidetracked by the freight train that became my life. You know, that’s another difference between goals and resolutions: goals can be changed to reflect the current circumstances, but resolutions are permanent. I know I want to set some financial and physical goals, along with schooling, health, house and crafting. Umm, I think it would be a good idea to concentrate on relaxing and recreation and family as well. That will certainly get me started. The very first thing I plan to do is get a calendar and use it to do some broad planning. Tell me, what are you planning to do in 2008?