First Things First

 

The “new year” is finally here.  I can now say this is my “first” blog post of the year.  There will be a lot of “firsts” in the coming days.  The first time in 2011 that I make it to the gym, the first healthy meals on a new diet, the first smart spending choices keeping me within my new budget – or my first chance to show I care about people and do something meaningful for them.  

But I figure other firsts in the coming days will include the first time I blow off the gym in favor of a nap on the couch.  The first time I stray from my new diet – the first time I overspend – or, the first time I treat someone I love in a way I would never dream of treating people I don’t even know.

I love the concept of a clean slate!  And, isn’t that why we make such a big deal about the start of a new year?  We long for the “fresh start” – the chance to close off things in our past that had gotten messy or had begun to weigh us down.  We want the chance to start clean, no mess – no heavy load.

Often my resolutions have been to start “doing” this or stop “doing” that.   In the beginning I am motivated by the clean slate – I want to keep it clean.  But in time, that simple motivation isn’t enough.  Just wiping the slate clean doesn’t really change who I am or how I think and behave.  So this year I have resolved to focus more on who I am becoming than what I’m doing.  

Oh, and I think I will try wiping that slate clean every morning – why wait a whole year?