I AM...

It's been a while... hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season!

The highlights so far have been the return of my sister and brother from their missions - Kate came home from the New Jersey Morristown mission on December11, and Shawn came home from the Baltic States (Estonia) mission on December 19. We had a fun Christmas season - a full house, almost! Mar and Jesse spent Christmas in California. We missed them! But it's been fun to have Kate and Shawn home. Never a dull moment! (Translation: I no longer have my own bathroom, office, or exercise room. But Kate is the BEST to chat with, and Shawn is a giant, hyper ray of sunshine.)

Since the new year has started, and resolutions are being made all over the world, I have one resolution: NO resolutions. To me, resolutions are made to be broken; they fade out after about March (sometimes earlier, rarely later). They usually start with "I will..." and to me, that leaves too much room for failure. You're giving yourself ALL year to start and finish them. From what I've learned this past year, if you put things in the future, that's usually where they stay; for example, "I will be smarter with money this year." That gives me all year to succeed... but it also gives me all year to fail. Something comes up in March that I really want, so I say, "I have all year to be financially smart, so I'm just going to buy this one thing." I end up thinking that all year until the year is gone, and I'm even poorer than I was when I made the resolution.
THIS year, it's out with the "I will" and in with the "I AM." So this year, here's what I am:

• I am healthier and have a stronger body because I exercise 3-5 times a week and have given up ALL soda for at least 6 months, and I make smart choices when I eat, cutting out bad sugars and fats whenever I can. When June rolls around, I'm at a healthier weight for my frame, and am in good race-running condition.
• I am smarter with my money because I consciously make decisions about what I spend my money on, and do not spend more than necessary on that which is of no value. That means eating out less and fewer trips to Old Navy. I am closer to being out of debt and saving money to purchase a home.
• I am more positive to those around me, and strive to avoid making negative observations, I am uplifting to those around me. I have more patience and less of a 'martyr' attitude. I listen more and talk less.

Of course, there's more for me to work on, but those are just examples of what I AM this year. I've already gone a week without any soda, and have cut back drastically on sugar. I still eat it every now and then, but not as much as I did before. Payday is this week, and I still have a teensy bit of money in my account - I haven't spent it all, like I did in the past.

I know we're only 8 days in to the year, but that's 8 days this year that I haven't wasted, trying my hardest to reach my potential. So, that being said...

What ARE you, this year?