My non-resolution resolutions for 2014

I’m not doing resolutions this year. I haven’t in a few years. This year I’m making a list of habits I’d like to start. Things I hear other people talk about, read about somewhere, conjure up in the final minutes before I drift off to sleep and then never think about or get too busy getting other things done to remember. They’re not your typical new years “goals” like being healthier or getting more sleep – those are things I strive to be better at no matter what time of year – sometimes I slip and sometimes I slip and sometimes I soar.

This year it’s more about habits that I want my daughter to pick up on, things I want us to do together, things I want to make sure I teach her while she’s still interested in listening to me, things that at the end of the day after she’s fast asleep I look back and say think I wish I would’ve done that day. So I’m going to make a list and share them with you and hopefully one or two of them will inspire you to find a new habit that you want to incorporate into your life and hopefully you’ll share some great habits that are part of your life.

Daily Affirmations. I started this with Annabelle a long time ago but somedays we get busy and I forget to do them. Positive affirmations set a beautiful tone for the rest of the day and the more you hear something the more you believe it. It helps with self-esteem, confidence, I believe it can even help improve your health. Find some of your favorite affirmations, put them on your mirror, on your fridge, on the front door, on your garage door. Anywhere that will remind you to stop for a second and say some affirmations.

Express gratitude before bed. As simple as it sounds, because sometimes we forget how blessed we are and ending your day on a positive note can help everyone sleep better.

A Gratitude Jar. Once a week I’d like to write down on a piece of paper something that we are grateful for. It doesn’t have to be big. It’ll go into our grateful jar which I’ll be making this week and then sometime at the end of the year, either Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Years we’ll look back at it and think about all the amazing things that have happened in our lives over the past year.

Helping Animals in some way. I’m not quite sure how to do this yet but I want to expose Annabelle to the beauty of giving and I’m partial to animals, and she happens to love them too. I’d like to take her to a shelter and let her give some animals some much needed love, I’m not sure they’d let us do that since she’s so young but in some way, shape or form I’m like this to be a part of both of our lives, even if its making a donation, going for a visit, something. I’d love to hear any ideas!

Paying with cash. It’s not only easy to overspend when all you have to do is swipe a magic little plastic card but it’s also difficult to teach the value of money to kids who never see cash. In 2014 I’d like to make more of an effort to use cash in hopes that it will not only curb my own spending but also to start teaching my daughter about money. She already has a piggy bank that she stashes coins and bills into but we haven’t “saved up” for a special something yet.

Do Reiki. I’m a Reiki practitioner, I believe in chakras, meditation, the power of healing crystals and i’ve yet to pass this on to Annabelle. By the end of the day we’re so worn out that the only thing on our minds is reading stories and getting to bed. We read a ton of books every night before bed  but I’d like to start doing a little reiki with her and have her experience energy, maybe before bed, maybe at another time of day. I need more of it in my life too.

There may be more that I’ve thought of and have slipped my mind but if I think of more I’ll add them to this list in the future. I’ll probably have to put up lists all over the house for a little while so I remember to start incorporating them, or I’ll start one every month and add a new one once it’s become a habit.

Are you planning on doing anything differently in 2014? What kind of things do you want to incorporate into your childs life?