Promises to Myself

I said I would stop making New Years Resolutions because they always get broken- often in the very first week.

I couldn't stop myself from having certain goals, making certain promises to myself.

To start off with- I'm promising myself that I will keep up with housework more.  We both hate to do it, so often dishes will pile up in the sink.  We finally clean out the dishwasher and load it- and there are enough dishes left over for a second load. 

I've been doing well so far.  Yesterday I even managed to can some French Onion Soup, and while I was waiting for the pressure canner to heat up, I washed up what I had to, then unloaded the clean dishes and put the dirty ones in to the dishwasher.  Ultimately, only one pan was left in the sink!   

It's my hope that taking time to clean up a little each day will help prevent pile ups.  The hardest part is going to be getting Tim to help.



I'm promising myself that I'll worry less.  That's the harder promise.  I run off worry.  I live off of stress.  Stress and swedish fish flavored candy canes.   I find myself even as I type this worrying about an even that may or may not happen six and a half months in the future.  Oh yes, I am that much of an over-achiever in the worry department.  I imagine if I were a dog, I'd be one of those that twitches and shakes all the time for no apparent reason.   I'm lookin' at you chihuahuas.

I'm learning to manage my stress a bit. Rather than looking around and seeing something that may cause my trouble six months from now, rather than worrying about events that might not even come to pass, I'm working on letting it go- letting it not be a factor in my life until I know if it will even come to pass.  I'm working on enjoying life and being content to know we have enough, not trying to squirrel away every single penny I can eke out from our checks, stressing that this month I saved a dime less than last month.

This isn't to say I won't be couponing- I very much enjoy that.  I enjoy trying to save money in general.  I just can't let the need to have more money cause me extreme stress.



I'm promising myself that I will finish my projects.  Whether it's the quarter crocheted wash cloth sitting in my bag, or the book, I will finish what I start this year!  I will be the success I want to be, simply by not standing in my own way. 



So there we have it- my promises to myself.
-Kristen