Resolutions

Resolutions....most of us sit down and write, think, or map out a way to meet our yearly goals.   People focus on all sorts of things from, lose weight, get in shape, quit an addiction, better job, save money, read scriptures and pray daily, etc etc, the list could go on forever, right?

Resolutions...I thought of the fact that this is something that has become a normal part of my life, and now that we are entering into the second month of the year I realized probably 1/3 of us have already decided 1 or more goal isn't going to be attainable this year.  While thinking this I started to wonder what my resolution or bucket list would look like if I were close to death or later in life.  Would I have regrets racing through my mind or feel I have had personal accomplishments all along my life's journey?  Then I put a little more thought into it and decided that the things I really needed on my list were the things if I hadn't taken the time to accomplish, I would regret...do you know what? My whole outlook has changed.

There are so many great things that life can offer to me but the most important things are the ones I want to hang on to...the things I want to remember doing and the accomplishments I want to tell others about are the ones who have helped me to gain an eternal place in heaven.

I don't want to get to a point later in life or when my life is near the end and have regrets.  What would those regrets be? What do others regret? What are the important things in life, the ones that truly matter? Will I regret the things I have done today because I didn't do the things that I should have?  My job now is to decide goals that will help me throughout my life and work on them, and add short term goals along the way to give me self accomplishments to help encourage me.

Bucket list/Lifelong Goals...does that sound huge? Yes but not if I narrow some things down.  I have been reading about people's regrets in life and how they felt their yearly resolutions determined how  their life turned out.  Most people had regrets about not spending time with family, not meeting up to their potential, not allowing themselves to be happy with life, working to much and not enjoying the pleasures it brought them, not hanging onto true love, not staying in touch with friends, spending less time on the computer or in front of the TV, worrying too much about others, not having confidence in themselves, living their parents dreams instead of their own and the list could go on for forever. So which do I value for me?

Will I regret the time I didn't spend my my family?  I don't want to look back on life and think of all the missed opportunities to show my kids or spouse I loved them.  I want to remember all the quality time we spent enjoying each other and make the most of the time we have.  I want to remember playing games or learning together, not which movie we sat and watched.  I want to remember that we could have a dance party in the middle of cleaning the house to lighten up the mood.  I don't want to look and wonder if my kids knew how much they meant to my life, how important they are to who I have become, or to think I only focused on the little things in life instead of enjoying everything life has to offer.

I want to be able to look back and say I have lived up to my full potential.  Have I done all that I set out to accomplish in this life? Did I make my father in heaven proud? Did I carry the family name I was born with, did I keep the name good?  I want to be able to say I knew I was a daughter of god, who knew why I was here and where I was going.  I want others to remember that I always tried to strive to be my best, even when life threw its struggles in front of my path.

Am I going to be able to tell my posterity that I enjoyed life to the fullest? Did I allow myself to be happy for what I had and took part in daily, or would they remember me being depressed and complaining about my life? Let's just hope my kids never remember me on the latter end.  I want my kids to see that even at our toughest times I took the time to thank my father in heaven for all that I had, and was willing to smile when my day was down.  I want to be able to say that life was happy, that it was all I hoped it would be and more.  I have so many wonderful things in life...a lovely home, awesome healthy kids, a spouse who works harder than any other man I know, a car that runs properly on a daily basis, teachers that help my children learn, and a gospel that I love and live daily, and the best part is a Savior that has made a happier way of life possible.

Life isn't about being perfectly fit, about eating perfectly healthy, how often I try to get in shape, about saving money, about the perfect job, if my kids won all they competed in, whether I was the best speaker, or most talented, or if I had the cleanest home...life is about where it's taking me in the next life...