The MUM Organizes Her Mind

With the hustle and bustle of Christmas behind me and the New Year before me, I've had time to slow down, take my thoughts captive and ponder the year. "Taking your thoughts captive", have you ever contemplated that? This is something I continually tell myself and encourage others to do. Have you ever considered that, by changing a negative thought into a positive one, you can get a whole new perspective about your life and your surroundings? It has taken me a lifetime to learn this and I continue to grow in this area. It's been a hard journey since I tend to over analyze things and look at the cup as half-empty instead of half-full.

My plan is to have a more organized life in 2009 and the first step in doing so is to organize my thoughts and clear some mental clutter. I know that 'clutter', whether it is physical or mental, tends to drain my energy and make me feel overwhelmed. When I am feeling overwhelmed then I start to think I cannot possibly accomplish the things I need to get done and that results in the "P" word - procrastination.

This Weeks Goals

Get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night.

A little tough while my nurse-daughter is living with us because she works the night shift and wants me to stay up late with her on her nights off.....REALLY late.

Start my day by jotting down a reasonable To Do list.
The key word here is 'reasonable' since I have a tendency to set lofty goals, far more than one can get done in a day.....that is, and still knit!

Start writing in my journal again.
I love reading my old journals but I have been far too sporadic in my writing through the years. This is something I highly regret. This year I will write but not feel pressure to write in it every day.

Have daily quiet times of meditation and prayer.
I don't have a struggle scheduling quiet times to read and study my Bible because I find great comfort and guidance in it. However, this year I would like to spend more time meditating and praying which requires that I don't let the pressing duties of life cut this short.

Schedule time to exercise.
This has been very difficult lately since I have a recurring ankle injury. I need ideas on how to continue exercising in a non-aerobic way, perhaps yoga. And, I know I need to do some weight bearing exercises for my bones.

Schedule time for just "me".
Of course, since I do not work outside my home and since my children are grown, I have more free time than most do but I would like to start going to my LYS to knit with other knitters and develop some knitting friendships.

Eliminate energy drainers in my life.
Clutter control! Unfinished knitting projects! Unfinished scrapbooks!

Take control of my time.
And I when I seize control of my time I would also like to be a good steward of it. I will set goals and then break them into doable daily To Do's.

I've been contemplating ways to cut back on the amount of negative information and images that I let come into my mind. One avenue that has worked for me in the past is to be selective about television, movies and books. Have you ever read a book and certain characters in the book reminded you of someone you knew? Then, before you knew it felt angry towards the real-life person? Or, have you watched a violent movie and then went to bed with fear in your heart or had a nightmare? But another way I can limit negative influence is through the internet. Something I've noticed recently is that there are many blogs out there filled with complaints, gripes, profanity and other negative information. Now, I know we have the privilege of free speech to express ourselves, and I respect that, but I have decided that reading these blogs is not necessarily healthy for me. As I've read them, I've often thought of something Dale Carnegie once said, 'If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive'.

Unfortunately, I've kicked over a few beehives this year. The consequences have been ones of growth for me and, even more fortunately, the beehives have been kicked over on people who love me and are willing to work through conflicts. I'm resolving to be more positive this year and less critical in the lives of all those I know.

Criticism is futile because it puts a man on the defensive and only makes him want to justify himself all the more. Have you ever noticed that? It is also dangerous because it wounds and arouses resentment. I don't know why it has taken me so many years to figure this out and, this year was the one that finally brought it home to me, again. Seriously, how many years does it take one to learn a lesson?

Buzzzzzzzzz......beehives.........resolving to have a positive influence on your lives in 2009!