The New Year is a good time to re-evaluate and re-prioritize. They say that if you make a formal resolution, and publicize it, you are at least ten times more likely to succeed than someone who doesn't. Even so, most New Year's resolutions are broken by the end of January. The way to avoid that is to make a specific, easy resolution that doesn't have to be continued for a whole year.
One of my resolutions was to think about the things in my life I am dissatisfied with and either do something about them or quit complaining. Many times I do nothing about something because it seems like such a small thing it's hardly worth it. But if I do it anyway, sometimes it turns out to do more good than I would have thought.
e.g. One thing I am very dissatisfied with is having to be confined to a dark apartment all day. One day when I was particularly disgusted, I looked outside and saw that it was bright and sunny. It was also cold and windy. But if I want sunshine, there it is, just go get it. So I determined I would take a one-minute walk. You can't freeze to death in one minute, and if one minute out of 1440 of sunshine is all I can have, I'm going to have it. So I walked for one minute, found the cold not so unbearable after all, kept walking, turned the corner and sat down on a bench in the sun. Immediately the wind stopped and I sat and soaked up the warmth of the sun for about 20 minutes, and felt so good I took my coat off and walked all the way around the block!
Another problem I always encounter is wanting to do more of everything. Learn more Hebrew, write more music, do more sewing-cleaning-cooking-exercise, or whatever. It isn't possible to do more unless I do less of something. Less sleep, maybe. Nope, not in the winter. I really need more sleep, too. The only thing I can do less of is wasting time. When do I waste time? Not sure, but I think a lot of time is wasted in little bits here and there, I just need to catch myself doing it.
Another thing that would help is to do the obvious, not the urgent. If you compromise with the obvious, pretty soon everything becomes urgent and you're in a trap.
And it's obvious that it's past lunchtime, so quick, decide! eat it or skip it?
Eat!
Eat what?
Carrots!
Bye!!
