New Year. New You? Same Resolutions...

New Year. New You. Same Resolutions.

The Alternative:

GOALS. Make short-term and long-term goals that are attainable, realistic, and worth achieving.

• If you want to reach an ideal weight, make that your long-term goal in a reasonable amount of time, and your short-term goals can weekly (or bi-weekly) weight goals.
• My Fitness Pal App is awesome for this particular goal, and it allows to enter the foods you eat while setting you with a daily calorie intake. Of course, exercise is a must.
• If you want to increase your self-esteem/-concept/-confidence, look in the mirror and accept the nose, eyes, lips, and hair that you have. Smile, and accept that too. Do daily affirmations in the mirror. Then, as you grow more confident, do things that are challenging for you.
• If you want to be happy, at peace, or feel complete, pray. Just pray ask God to forgive you, make you new, teach you how to be who HE wants you to be, and move you completely out of the way so that HE can reign in your life.
• (More of You God and less of me - my favorite piece of prayer because it really is not about us.)
• If you want to have a great relationship with SOS, then pursue a true relationship with God. HE will prepare you for your custom made spouse.
• If you want to be better about handling different life situations (or crises), go to your Bible and read how so many awesome, lovers/worshippers/workers of God got through.
• Instead of trying to justify why you do the things you do, acknowledge and take responsibility of them, and seek God fully and earnestly; HE does not like straddling.
• Instead of complaining about all the things you have no control over, focus on what you do have control over and that you can change. Think: the Serenity Prayer
• Instead of spending every dime you make, save them. Use your bank account, or get one, and put some back after you've covered the necessities.
• Long-term, you may want to end the year with a few hundred or thousand dollars saved up. Short-term, you may want to set aside small increments of $25 to $100 each month.
• Also, layaway things instead of charging them to credit, if you can.

Overall, when we make resolutions, there is an inkling of wanting change in our lives on various levels. Most often, we get lost and trying to figure out ways to change for the better. If you take nothing else from me, know that God is THE source of our life and strength; we have to learn to put away our pride and selfish ways, and go to God. You know how you dislike people coming to you ONLY when they need something, but they disappear after they're in a good place?? That's how we are with HIM, and he deserves much more than that.