Hello My Friends,
The new year is upon us, we’re 6 days into the new year.
Did you create a list of new year’s resolutions?
Are they the same or similiar to previous years?
How are you going with your execution?
For me I’ve written lists of to do’s for ever. (And I still do, it’s in my DNA )
I’m a list queen. And I’d accomplish most everything on my list.
I’d set my determination to Go!
I’d have the satisfaction of crossing the item off my list and seeing the fruits of my labour producing the outcomes I desired.
That is so long as it didn’t involve losing weight or listening to my inner self. I became the mistress of taking my excess weight off, then I would regain it whenever a life event happened. This is still a work in progress. This year my aim is to listen to my inner Linda and figure out what is behind my emotional eating. Being curious with myself, side stepping the mean girl who calls me nasty names. I figure this part of my journey will be a bit higgledy pickledy as I have 50 years of old habits to unravel.
But as for other goals like painting the house, redecorating the lounge, building a new herb garden. I’m your gal, if it’s tangible and gives a visible result, I’m in.
Take the time I painted the roof of our house. At the time I was a shift worker, working twelve hour shifts, two days and two nights with four days off. Excellent opportunity. At the time, it seemed I was always tired and my list was always nagging at me. I’d climb the ladder with paint bucket and brush. I’d begin with great gusto. Each day I’d progress a little further till the heat of the day made me call it quits. I’d squeeze in an hour here and an hour there. My self righteousness was palpable, look at me, see how good I am. I’d climb down the ladder to find family in the cool, chilling out. Wham, judgemental Linda would come in swinging for a show down, I’d stomp around, bang a door, but never say anything, Martyr Linda joined the party, she’s the one that’s been making all the sacrifices, blah, blah, blah. (It didn’t matter that the family had already mown the lawn, weeded the garden, and washed the car.) The only thing with this party was no-one was feeling any joy. I didn’t like who I was, or how I was treating my loved ones.
Something had to change, Someone had to change, and the only person feeling hard done by was me. One thing I have learned is I can’t change anyone else, if I want things to change it has to come from me. The way I was thinking was affecting my behaviour. To change my actions, I had to change my feelings, which required me to change the way I thought about the situation I was in.
Yes, the to do lists got done, there was little joy and peace. The job on the list was the goal, not how well the journey was walked or the status of the relationships with the people around me were lived.
This year I’m on the journey to mend a few of those relationships, and create a life of fun, new adventures, add interest and challenge into my daily life.
In the last year I have been discovering so many new, to me things. One of those things is to choose a word that describes what and who I want to be in the coming year. I asked myself questions like,
What am I tired of putting up with?
What would I change if I could change anything about my life?
What do I want more of in my life?
Who do I want to become? If I could be anyone, what characteristics, would I want to embody?
Sitting still, and answering these questions, seeking guidance from my inner self, my word for 2020 is abundance. I want to experience more abundance in my friendships, more abundance in my marriage, more abundance within myself, more abundance in our finances, more abundance with my children. Now some of you may have the notion that abundance is only about money. Well it is about money, but it’s so much more than that. We live in an abundant world, take a look at nature, plants have more seeds than they’ll ever grow- abundance, We are surrounded by abundance every day, I want to open my eyes to see it, feel it, be a part of the universes abundance every day.
So, my word for this year is Abundance: I will run my decisions through the filter of, How will this make my life more abundant? Will this enhance or detract from my abundant life?
Have you thought about what you want the year 2020 to be like for you? Do you have a word for 2020? Share it with me at authenticlivingwithlinda@gmail.com
Until next time: See you my friends.