A new year is upon us, and it often means a fresh start for many. Are you one that makes resolutions, perhaps to lose weight, spend more time with your family, or save more money? While I’m not usually one to make resolutions, I often set expectations or plans for the coming year. I usually have plans of a vacation that I want to take, a project I want to take on at home, or expectations of the year to come.
This year, however, I’m taking a different approach.
I’ve always been a very type A personality, and if things aren’t laid out for me the way I want them to be, I have troubles. When I was married I had in my head that I wanted to have our first child by the age of 27 and be done having kids by 30. While the illness and death of my dad taught me to let go of some of my planning obsession, my perfectionist/planning tendencies still come out. My childbearing plan didn’t work out since I was 30 when I had our first child, and we plan to have at least one more, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Which is why for the new year I’m setting no expectations or plans for myself or the year ahead.
I’ve learned that when I let go, I tend to enjoy life a little bit more. I want to enjoy the little moments with my husband and daughter, laugh at mistakes that we may make, encounter spontaneous adventures together, and just live.
We don’t have any set plans for a vacation, but if we take a random unplanned road trip over spring break I wouldn’t be upset. Planning vacations down to the minute has been my M.O. in the past, but usually is more stress than fun.
We know that we eventually want to have another child, but the first time around I stressed and overthought the whole process. Enjoying the time where it is just the three of us is more important to me now. We will never get the chance where Elin is an only child again, so I plan to live in the present with her. Changing my mindset often changes the way I live my life.
Life is too short to make detailed plans, expectations, or resolutions, when often we end up just being disappointed in the end. This new year, I challenge you to throw out the resolutions, enjoy the moments, laugh at the mistakes, and live your life the way you want to.
You may find that you are happier just the way you are.
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