New Year's Resolutions

From the writing desk of Christine Mazurk

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? If you do, do you stick to them for the entire year? If the answer is "yes" then I applaud you.

I, like many people I know, go in with good intention, a positive attitude that this year will be different, only to find a month or two into it, I'm back to my old habits.

I read an article last month that spoke to me, giving me hope that this approach would work. A fellow author wrote about her frustrations with failed attempts to meet her resolutions, so several years ago, she tried something new. She picked one word to focus on throughout the year. Her word was HOPE, and she began her days and ended her evenings with that one word front and center in her mind. It worked for her, creating more balance and positive occurrences in her life. So, I decided to give this method a try.

My word for 2014 is MOTIVATED. In a nutshell, I'm motivated to get back in shape, to write two heart-felt stories, and to value my family and friends on a daily basis.

But thinking of my word this morning, I decided to add some depth:

M - Move more. Spend more time moving the body to motivate the brain to create those great characters and their heart-felt stories.

O - Organize. Keep the clutter out and simplify the work day by focusing on stepping stone goals. Small doable goals that will get me to the larger end-of-the-year goals.

T - Track. As an athlete, I keep a log book, so why not track the other activities in my life? So this year, I'll track my daily writing goals, my appointments, and my accomplishments.

I - Interact. Spend more time interacting with friends and other writers. Writing is isolating, too often, a writer gets lost in the characters and story line, so this year, I'll remind myself to come up for air, to brainstorm with friends to keep the pace of my life and the current story moving forward.

V - Visualize. Just as I visualize getting to the finish line in a race, I need to visualize accomplishing the goals I set before me, which include the daily writing goals, making time for family and friends, eating right, and exercising.

A - Accept. Recognize any short comings and work to improve them. Instead of beating myself up for missing a goal, I need to focus on picking myself up and moving forward.

T - Trust. Myself and those around me. To have faith in the goals I set for myself, and to have the ability to ask for help when I need it.

E - Edit. My stories to make them the best they can be, but also my daily activities to enrich my life in a positive, healthy way.

D - Dedicated. To making this work. To wake up each morning and motivate myself to reach my daily goals. One day at a time to accomplish the larger year end goals.

Seems pretty simple. One word, one focus, to making 2014 an even better year!

What would your ONE WORD be?
Until next time - Hugs, Christine