For the record, I have tried and tried to fix the formatting of this post, but nothing is working for me right now. Sigh. So I am going to go ahead and link this to the un-word link, but continue to work on the formatting. Not sure why no matter what I do, words are split, spacing is funny and font sizes are funky. :(I found this lovely little idea from The Nester.I have already changed my New Year's Resolutions from a list of shoulda....which turns into coulda and woulda, to one-word that helps define my year.Now, The Nester and some of her friends are suggesting adding an UN-word to the year. Something you want to get rid of in your life.Initially I was thinking, well this is easy.
I could write a whole list of things that I want to get rid of: things about myself that I would like to not be, or stop being or needs to be changed or could be improved.
If you need to go negative, I'm your girl.
I am able to see the flaws, focus on how it could have and should have been
better. What more could have been done. What more I should have done.
I am the best at obsessing about my own flaws and beating myself up for them.
And in this rambling I came up with my UN-word of the year: UN-lack.
I know. It's awkward.
And there is probably some dirty joke in there, or at least a rhyme to an
inappropriate limerick.
Still, I'm sticking with it.
UN-lack.
Why is it that I can come up with a huge list of things that I lack?
Why is it I can be so very hard on myself?
Why is it so hard for me to see myself in a more positive light?
Why is it so hard for me to see so many things in a positive light?
Most days, my cup runneth over. Truly. I do believe that, even if I forget it.
But the area that I feel needs the most time is me.
The area that lacks the most is me.
Why am I not more organized?
Why can't I get more done in a day?
Why don't I remember more things?
Why can I not give my kids enough?
Why do I struggle to balance being a part-time
stay-at-home-mom and two part-time jobs?
Why am I not a better friend, daughter, sister,
mother and wife?
Why do my kids seem to fight more when I am
around than when I am not?
What if I am not teaching my kids enough?
See that list? It's only a partial one; but you can see, the overall theme is all
that I feel I lack.
Maybe I do lack those things and more, but maybe, just maybe, I have more
than I see for myself.
Maybe I don't lack as much as I think I do.
Perhaps, in this yearlong journey of trying to see myself, not for what I lack, but for the skills and strengths and gifts I have, I might actually believe in it.
Well, it's a start.
Here's to 2014: The Year of UN-LACK!
1.22.2014
My UN-word 2014
1.08.2014
New Year: One Word, and A Promise to Myself
When I thought about starting a blog.... it was about doing something for me. And if you look at my history, you will see that it is one more thing that was for me that I haven't kept on well at all. This makes me sad. Sad in the sighing, shaking my head, throw my hands up in the air in utter defeat and crawl back in bed with the covers pulled over my head kind of sad. First world problems I guess... but at the same time I think that it is probably a global problem that women put others before themselves.... ALL THE TIME.
And that's what has happened for me and this blog. It was going to be a way to document my life and the life of my family and the crazy antics we have and instead it has become one more thing on my list of wish I had time for, but just doesn't happen. Which brings me to the New Year and resolutions and such.
Last year I found the trend to do a one word theme for the year, instead of a list of resolutions that in the words of Mary Poppins are "pie-crust promises. Easily made, easily broken."
Last year I chose "Simplify".
It was a good word. Something I needed. And honestly, it was something I kept in my mind throughout the year, even if I wasn't always keeping things simple, I did try to keep it in mind. Usually, resolutions are out the door after the first week, so I think that the one word theme was more of a success than a list of resolutions, but certainly 365 days later my life is not the amazing example of simple living that I had hoped I would be living. Sigh.
So I have been mulling over giving it a go again this year and trying to decide what my word would be and what would that look like.
I had kind of settled on "Less".
Less sitting, less complaining, less stuff, less weight, less stress.... and then I thought I needed to change it to a phrase to fully encompass the idea "Less is more". Less seemed inadequate in some ways. If someone asked me about my resolutions or my word, I would have to spend a long time explaining, but "Less is more" wouldn't require as much defining. So I have spent way too much time overthinking my one word for the year and whether it would be ok to have a phrase instead of just a word and you can probably see why words like "simplify" and "less" might be good ideas for me to try to practice. Sheesh!
So deciding to move on from the one word/one phrase debate in my head, I analyzed and determined what made it successful and why wasn't it successful? Why at the end of 365 days did I not feel like my life was as simplified as I wanted it? Where did I go wrong? And then I stumbled across this article and it has completely inspired me to change my whole approach to things. My life isn't simple because I lack good systems. I would have less stuff and less stress and more of the good stuff, if I had better systems and used them everyday, instead of the willy-nilly way I approach life now. It always seems to be more of putting out fires and focusing on the most immediate crisis, which is probably more my fault than I would like to admit. Somewhere in life I got too busy and stopped creating, or never created a system to deal with each thing I do in my day, so that good habits are built in my day. Duh!!!
I almost thought about changing my one word to "Systems"...
almost.
But it doesn't sound pretty or inspiring.
"Systems"
It kind of falls off the tongue in one big dud. Therefore, I am sticking with "Less" with the idea that "Less is More", but achieving this will happen this year by focusing on creating systems.
So, I have the inspiration, I have a plan and hopefully at the end of the year I have MORE by having LESS.
What do you need less of so that you can have more? Do you have systems that work in your day? What systems work for you?
And that's what has happened for me and this blog. It was going to be a way to document my life and the life of my family and the crazy antics we have and instead it has become one more thing on my list of wish I had time for, but just doesn't happen. Which brings me to the New Year and resolutions and such.
Last year I found the trend to do a one word theme for the year, instead of a list of resolutions that in the words of Mary Poppins are "pie-crust promises. Easily made, easily broken."
Last year I chose "Simplify".
It was a good word. Something I needed. And honestly, it was something I kept in my mind throughout the year, even if I wasn't always keeping things simple, I did try to keep it in mind. Usually, resolutions are out the door after the first week, so I think that the one word theme was more of a success than a list of resolutions, but certainly 365 days later my life is not the amazing example of simple living that I had hoped I would be living. Sigh.
So I have been mulling over giving it a go again this year and trying to decide what my word would be and what would that look like.
I had kind of settled on "Less".
Less sitting, less complaining, less stuff, less weight, less stress.... and then I thought I needed to change it to a phrase to fully encompass the idea "Less is more". Less seemed inadequate in some ways. If someone asked me about my resolutions or my word, I would have to spend a long time explaining, but "Less is more" wouldn't require as much defining. So I have spent way too much time overthinking my one word for the year and whether it would be ok to have a phrase instead of just a word and you can probably see why words like "simplify" and "less" might be good ideas for me to try to practice. Sheesh!
So deciding to move on from the one word/one phrase debate in my head, I analyzed and determined what made it successful and why wasn't it successful? Why at the end of 365 days did I not feel like my life was as simplified as I wanted it? Where did I go wrong? And then I stumbled across this article and it has completely inspired me to change my whole approach to things. My life isn't simple because I lack good systems. I would have less stuff and less stress and more of the good stuff, if I had better systems and used them everyday, instead of the willy-nilly way I approach life now. It always seems to be more of putting out fires and focusing on the most immediate crisis, which is probably more my fault than I would like to admit. Somewhere in life I got too busy and stopped creating, or never created a system to deal with each thing I do in my day, so that good habits are built in my day. Duh!!!
I almost thought about changing my one word to "Systems"...
almost.
But it doesn't sound pretty or inspiring.
"Systems"
It kind of falls off the tongue in one big dud. Therefore, I am sticking with "Less" with the idea that "Less is More", but achieving this will happen this year by focusing on creating systems.
So, I have the inspiration, I have a plan and hopefully at the end of the year I have MORE by having LESS.
What do you need less of so that you can have more? Do you have systems that work in your day? What systems work for you?
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