Sheila's Books Read

Sheila's bookshelf: read

The Best Intentions
Scotland's Melody
The Secret Society of Salzburg
Secret of the Sonnets
20-40-60-Minute Dinners: Meals to Match the Time You Have
Through the Wilderness: My Journey of Redemption and Healing in the American Wild
Secret Santa Claus Club: A Tool to Help Parents Unwrap the Secret of Santa
Mr. Pudgins
Revenge Never Rests
The Best Mistake
Meriden Park
More Inspirational Stories for Young Women
The Great Tree: A Christmas Fable
To Capture His Heart
The Call of the Sea
Esperance
Livvy and the Enchanted Woodland
Come, Gentle Night
The Bad Boy Theory
Guide To Smart Wedding Planning: What You want to know and everything you haven't thought of yet.


Sheila's favorite books »

2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Sheila has read 4 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Being Realistic in 2014


re·al·is·tic
ˌrēəˈlistik/
adjective
adjective: realistic
  1. 1.
    having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected.
    "jobs are scarce at the moment, so you've got to be realistic"
    synonyms:practical, pragmatic, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, sensible, commonsensical, grounded; More
    informalhaving both/one's feet on the ground, hard-nosed, no-nonsense
    "you've got to be realistic"
    informaldoable
    "a realistic aim"
  2. 2.
    representing familiar things in a way that is accurate or true to life.
    "a realistic human drama"
    synonyms:true to life, lifelike, truthful, true, faithful, unidealized, real-life, naturalistic, graphic More
    "a realistic portrayal of war"

Yes it's 2014! I love the start of a new year, but this year I want to be realistic. I've been reading all of my friends New Year's Resolutions for 2014. Some of them I've nodded my head at in agreement and others I've sat here and laughed. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves at the beginning of a new year. Is this really necessary? Yes, it's good to make goals for ourselves, but make sure they are realistic and aren't going to cause great stress for us in the process. Here are some things that have crossed my mind as I've been thinking today...

-It's OK that we don't have perfect children. No one is perfect, so don't expect our kids to always be that way. They are still kids and need time to be just that...kids!

-Don't set your goals so high that you will topple. If you make a mistake, say you cheat on your diet, it shouldn't make you want to quit. Give yourself a break to mess up and then get back to your goal the next day.

-It's OK to mention to others, even on facebook, that you're having a bad day. No one is going to judge you and most people are going to cheer you on. Always saying that your life is perfect and you never have any problems is only going to make other people grumpy. Like I said at the first, let's be realistic.

-On the other hand, no one wants to hear you complain all of the time. I guess this is for me. This past year has not been the best in my life, and I need to remember that everyone doesn't want to hear about it at all times. But, I'm trying to be realistic and not lie when asked how I'm doing.

-Something else I'm going to do different this year is not compare myself to others. That also goes for my kids, home, clothes etc. We are all individuals that are blessed with strengths and weaknesses. We take away from our own accomplishments when we compare ourselves to our friends and family. We have trials that belong to us. Their trials are not ours. I know many people are unhappy because they feel like they never measure up to their friends.

-Showing more compassion is on my list. What would our world be like if we were more compassionate? Let's show empathy to strangers and those we know. Reaching out to others can change lives. I had people last year do this for me. They know who they are and I'm so grateful for them. They showed deep compassion to me and gave me hope at a very crucial time. 

The last thing I'm planning on doing: trying harder. There are many areas in my life where I have goals. I'll not bore you with the details, but they are realistic. I'll try hard to work on one of these goals each day. I know I'll have good and bad days. But I will try hard and won't give up. I hope that you will do the same. Remember, we are not perfect people. Be gentle with others and yourself. I'm proud of those friends and family that accomplish so much in their lives, but you can count on me not comparing every little thing you do with what I do. The secret to happiness is being happy now in the moment in our life's daily journey.

No comments:

Post a Comment