Happy 2020!
Happy New Year! I hope you had an amazing 2019 and your 2020 is off to an awesome start so far! Today I thought I would share my New Years resolutions with you guys cause this year... I didn’t make any. Instead of making goals for myself like being more organized or drinking more water (which are both great) this year I decided to think about who I want to be at the end of the year, the kind of person I want to be. So I wrote down words I hope will describe me at the end of the year - stuff like encouraging, confident, and kind - and then came up with day-to-day habits that will help me get there. So today I am giving you guys a little peek into my journal and sharing a few of the habits from my list. This is basically a note to myself but I am hoping it might inspire some of you guys too.
1. My first habit to work on for 2020 is to open my Bible before I open Instagram. Instagram is awesome and it helps connect me with my friends and everything but every time I get on it I’m just seeing the best moments with the best filters. Sometimes it’s hard to not get jealous of what people post! So opening my Bible app before Instagram helps me start my day with Jesus and not jealousy.
2. The second one is to say “thank you” and “please” more and “sorry” less. Let me explain, being special needs I have to rely on people for so much stuff and I feel bad asking for things all the time. I have a bad habit of saying sorry when I ask for help with things instead of please and thank you. But one of the words I hope describes me at the end of the year is “grateful” so I am trying to say please & thank you more and to say sorry less (unless I actually need to apologize for something).
3. My third one is to assume the best about other people. This one is hard. Cause when someone stares at me I can sometimes get a little self conscious and I assume they are looking at me cause I am in a wheelchair but what if they are just thinking “Dang! That girl’s shoes are awesome!” Or if someone is a little rude it could have more to do with them maybe having a bad day and less to do with them trying hurt my feelings. Assuming the best about others helps give them space to be human aka not perfect and helps me stay more positive too.
4. The forth one is if I think something nice about someone I'm gonna say it!! They might be having a really bad day and you saying "I like your outfit" or "you have really cool hair" just might make their day better! Compliments are meant to be shared so if you think something nice then say it!
5. My fifth one is to pray more. I know it sounds really easy but I get busy with school & life and just forget sometimes. But prayer is important and it makes a big difference in my life! I try to pray every morning before I get out of bed. I pray during the day too if I have a big test for school or a doctors appointment but I'm working on not just asking for things all the time but thanking God for things too like for my dog when she does something cute or for my friends when we have fun hanging out. I am also trying to just talk to Jesus more this year. I tell him about my day and pray for things I have going on but I pray for Jesus too. He is not just some far off God that I ask for stuff from, but He is my friend that wants a relationship with me and not to just hear requests from me.
6. The sixth one is it's ok for people to interrupt my day. It’s easy to get super busy and to just focus on what I have to do and what is going on in my life, but when a friend says they are having a bad day it takes only a second to text them back something nice. And people are people, not interruptions. It only takes a minute to help my mom unload the dishwasher or to give a homeless person a little money or to pause what I am doing to be there for a friend when they need it. And I know for me that when I stop what I am doing to help other people it always makes my day better too, so this year I'm on the lookout for "interruptions".
7. My seventh one is to listen more and talk less! When I am in a really good conversation with a friend sometimes I can start to think about what I am gonna say next instead of fully listening but this year I'm trying hard to make sure I'm really listening to what they are talking about. Everyone wants to be heard. And listening (like really listening!) is just another way to show others you love them!
8. And that leads me to my next thing to do better this year! Which is to think before I speak! The thing I’ve been trying to work on is asking myself if what I’m about to say is positive, helpful, or loving and if not then does it really even need to be said! Another one of the words I hope will describe me this year is "encouraging" and sure that comes from saying positive things to encourage other people but also that means keeping my mouth shut sometimes and being careful to not say something that could maybe hurt someone's feelings.
9. The ninth one is keep my moods in check. Bad moods happen whether we like it or not and I don't always control when they happen but I can control how long I let it stick around. This year I am trying to keep my bad moods in check by making a mental list of all the things I am grateful for. Focusing on what I love and what makes me happy instead of all the icky stuff that started my bad mood helps the gray clouds go away faster.
10. And my tenth one is to DREAM BIGGER! It is pretty easy at times to just focus on my limitations and what I can't do but then I think that I end up selling myself short. Because when I put my mind to something then I can typically find a creative way around what I thought were my limits. Why not dream big?! You never know till you try.
So those are just a few of the things I am trying to do every day. Hopefully all these small things will help me make big steps to being a better person in 2020 and making this my best year yet. And I hope this is YOUR best year yet too!
XOXO,
Riley
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