by Christie Perins

No regrets: It’s the phrase that’s been clinking around in my head for a couple of months now.

Every year a new theme surfaces. I grab hold. It’s as if I have been mixing around all the things I’ve been wanting to focus on this year and the cream for the upcoming year rises to the top. Ooh, I want that! I tell myself. I want something a little more than I had last year.

I want a year of no regrets.

This phrase, of course, stems from regrets. Everyone has them. I think regrets are a tender mercy. It’s a learning moment that bump scoots you to a better road ahead. Or it stop plops you in a muddy path… but that’s not an option we want to choose, right?

I have simple regrets like wishing I spent more time with the kids, that I maximized my efforts, that I was more organized, that I connected better with those close to me; that sugar balls weren’t a food group. Most of the regrets are simple regrets. I even regret not hitting the text books more (yeah, remember I’m boring like that… it’s fine we can still be friends).

Anyway, this phrase surfaced right to the top. Yes, I want of year of no regrets.

I like it.

 

Prior Regrets

Earlier this year I told myself that I wanted to do a birthday party for one of my kids. Maybe I just needed to redeem myself. Now, I’m not one of those fabulous mom’s that are great at this. In fact the first birthday party I ever threw for my child ended up with a take home treat bag that had…

(Oh. Cringe. Do I dare tell you this? Ok, this is awkward.)

A baggie full of grapes and raisins. Yeah, the all American faded green plump fruit and raisins, as in dried shriveled up dead headed grapes (that half the kids on the planet won’t touch). I should have thrown in some frozen grape juice and a bendy straw to complete the meal. Wow, it’s totally weird that we even have friends after that. Maybe it was the cute poem I had with it.

(Yeah. I’m sure that was it since none of the kids could actually read.)

Some mom made a comment about how they hate how kids get so many treats at birthday parties and immediately I knew I was going to be “The Mom of all Mom’s” when I sent the kids home with grapes and gaggy raisins.

What in the world? Oh wow, did I ever become the “Mom of all Mom’s.” Told you I wasn’t good at this birthday party thing.

(I wonder how many mom’s found the moldy grapes shoved under the bed 3 months later…. ooh, wait. They probably would have discovered a double raisin day at that point. Cha-ching!)

It’s okay. You can be embarrassed for me… and, um, you can stop laughing now.

I needed some major redemption.

I’ve been a little gun shy since then. As you can imagine. Every time I would plan an idea in my head the grapes and raisins would haunt me. I could only see these amazing party ideas and kid crazed days. But they were always exiting Johnny Joe’s house. I would plan these really fun (raisin-less) ideas and then get scared.

Stinkin’ fear. Oh dear.

So it paralyzes me and I regret not following through with my best shot. That’s so lame. So this year, it’s a whole new game. The game I call no regrets.

And I’m really excited about it.

 

Just One New Year’s Goal

Do you want to pack a punch with your New Year’s Goal this year? Just pick one.

Every year I pick a theme. Check out this website if you want to see a list of ideas I’ve done in the past. I do this instead of some listed scheme of things I will never really check off. Instead, I just focus on a phrase and suddenly the list of what I want from life makes itself.

This phrase suddenly influences what  I eat, how I choose to spend my time, what  I say, what I want to do, and what I don’t want to do, etc. There suddenly becomes more power in a one word goal than a one big ole’ herd of goals.

So I’m going to take that emotion and turn it into a powerful driving force. Let it drive you into a patch of daisies and sunshine not dive you into a beheaded dreaded raisin pit.

It’s easy to do the New Year’s goals my way. You simply pick one thing you want to work on: one word or phrase will do. (Ideas: Connect, love, simplify, enjoy, trust, build, work, begin, wake up, brain power, stretch, etc.) You can jump on board with me: no regrets. Then post it where you can see it daily: by your bed, on your mirror, in your car, on your ipad, on your wall, in your shoe (might get squishy, ick, but get the message to stick in your head), whatever. Simply do one thing every day that will fulfill that goal and you will find great success at the end of the year.

That’s it. One thing a day.

Make it a habit to take a simple evaluation at the end of day (or other random but consistent time) and you will find by the end of the year that you have made incredible strides in your life and have become a little closer to who you want to be. (Even if it takes a few raisin goodie bag bad moments. Meh.)

It’s simple. That’s it. And, best of all, it works!

 

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