Red on the Head

Here's my column for tomorrow's paper...

It’s that time of year again – New Year’s resolutions. You make ‘em. You have good intentions. You fail.
At least, that’s how it goes for me. Which is why I quit making them a long time ago.
But this year, I have found the one resolution that I can wholeheartedly keep...so here it is: If it doesn’t nourish your soul, get rid of it.
That’s it. That’s my one resolution. But then I started thinking about it, dangit. I found that more are needed. So I started nosing around for other resolutions that would not only make a difference in my life, but in the lives of those around me as well. Here’s what I’ve got...
Capture the little moments. I find myself leaning toward this philosophy more and more with each passing year. It’s these little moments that bring the most joy.
Realize your unlimited potential. This is oh, so difficult, but oh, so worth it. We all have unlimited potential. We just have to believe and tap into it, and nourish it every day.
Build faith, worry less. Do one, the other fades away.
Work smarter. No two words were ever more difficult or more necessary.
See the good. In people, in situations, in life...in general. Spend your time looking for the good in all things. If you focus on that, you won’t have time to worry about the bad.
Be inspired and inspire. I am always looking to others to see what I can learn from them, but I need to spend more time seeking to be inspired,  as well as learn to spark inspiration.
Be present. I spend a lot of my thoughts each day worrying  about and planning for what’s next. And in doing so, I often lose sight of what’s right in front of me. I have got to fix that.
Don’t worry about what others think. Most of us have struggled with this at one time or another. Here’s my take on it...if I’m making both the good Lord and my Mama happy, it’s all good.
Learn from my mistakes. There’s an old saying that if a man doesn’t learn from his past, he is doomed to repeat it. Same goes for mistakes. What we don’t learn and grow from, we’ll repeat... And we’ll do it often.
Remember that slow progress is still progress. It’s easy in life, whenever you set a goal, to become discouraged and even give up when you don’t see things moving along at a good clip. Progress is progress is progress.
Be thankful. I forget this one sometimes. It’s easy to do. Be thankful first in the little things, and you’ll be even more thankful for the big things.
Create. We all have a need to be creative. We just all do it in different ways. For some, it’s writing. For others, there’s the paint brush and canvas. For some, music is an outlet. However you choose to do it, just do it. Let your soul be exposed and express what you find there.
Challenge yourself. Never stop growing and becoming. Push yourself in that process. You may be surprised what you learn and how you evolve.
Forgive...then work hard to forget. Forgiving is so much easier than forgetting. But it is my goal to be more forgetful in this coming year...at least when it comes to the things I forgive.
Value your time. I think sometimes we forget to place value on our own time. We give so freely of our schedules to so many things and people and causes, that we forget how valuable our time is – and how quickly it is gone.
Give a little more than you promise. In today’s world, when someone does something for another person, all too often, just enough is done to get by with. Do more than what’s expected. What you receive in return is even greater.
Pursue only the dreams that truly scare you. That may sound impossible or too frightening at first. But bear in mind that the view is always best from the top of the mountain. Dream big and go for it.
Be better today than you were yesterday.  ‘Nuff said.
Breathe. I know in my hectic daily schedule, I often find myself rushing through the day and suddenly, the day is spent, and I have taken no time to just simply stop and breathe... appreciate... or give thanks. Carve out a few minutes each day to stop and catch your breath.
Don’t just like yourself...love yourself. That’s easier said than done sometimes. But we must all learn to love ourselves in order to truly love others. Like who you are today – and who you are working on becoming tomorrow.
For someone who didn’t want to make a resolution, I came up with a heckuva list. And I’m sure I’ll fall on my face more than once. But progress, even when it’s slow, is still progress.
I read that somewhere once...

I'd like to add a little to it..since this is my personal space. And I can do whatever the heck I want here.

This year has been tough for me. I made a move to a new place, a new job, and am surrounded by new people. This can be a good thing. And it can be a bad thing. I am choosing to see the good.

I have been met with some particularly tough challenges, particularly when it comes to running into some really nasty people who seem to have made it their mission to run me out of town. But they obviously don't know me. Or how stubborn I can be when I make up my mind. And my mind is made up. This is where I am supposed to be...and I'm not going anywhere.

This has been a tough year for me as well as I have felt some separation in a couple of important relationships. Not sure why. Maybe it's all me. But I've felt it. And it's not been an easy pill to swallow. But people grow and change and that's life. I'm not giving up on those relationships...just recognizing the changes, and resolving to hang on for dear life. They're important relationships.

I turned 50 this year. I decided to let my hair go salt and paprika. I am working harder at getting healthier, although the past couple of months, I have relaxed that a bit. But I'm back on track now, with the start of the new year.

I suppose the biggest change I've undergone in the past 12 months is that of acceptance. I am working toward being more accepting of, well, the way things are. At this point in my life, I realize that I am who I am, and if there's no man out there that wants "all of this"...well, it's his loss.

I have also come to the realization that there is still much I wish to accomplish, and I've gotten started on a couple of those things. There's no time like the present.

I have become more "okay" with what I see in the mirror. I am not perfect. I have wrinkles and gray hairs and curves, and I'm okay with that. I don't care too much if you aren't.

I am working on my spiritual side as well. I am not what I was, but I'm not all I can be. Moving onward and upward this year...

I suppose if I could sum 2013 up with one word, it would be....change. Much has changed in the past year, and I've grown and changed with it. And I'm not done yet.

Baby New Year, you and I are going to get up close and personal this year...2014 is looking promising...