New Year's Resolution - Letting go of Bad Habits

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. – Tryon Edwards

Here we are the last Sunday of 2014.  Where did 2014 go?  I’m not one to look back and wish I had done something different.  I don’t think living in the past is productive.  Sure you can always learn from the past, but living there, “No thanks!”  I’m ready for the New Year. 

To wrap up the year…let’s see, I’ve successfully gained the typical weight during the holidays.  I’ve successfully felt that I could have done better organizing.  Wait…halt, rewind!  It’s time for me to think differently.  It’s not okay to think it is okay to do what I didn’t want to do!  By the choices I made, I took action and accomplished exactly what I set out to do, even if it wasn’t what I really wanted.  I didn’t want to gain weight.  I simply chose to eat more than I should. I ended up yet again more disorganized than I wanted.  I simply chose to pile instead of file. 

What’s the common denominator?  I chose to repeat my bad habits!  A new year is a perfect time to replace bad habits with good habits.

At this time of year, it is common to put together a list of Goals or Resolutions.  Then by week three or four, it’s right back to the old habits and another year of the same old results.  Now that I’m 50, I’m a little discouraged to read that only 14% of people over 50 achieve their resolutions each year.  That makes me wonder, what is it that 14% of the people do?  What makes them stick to their resolutions?  

Maybe it is simply letting go of bad habits?  Until you’re okay with letting go of your bad habits, you inadvertently hang on tighter resulting in yet another year of missed goals.  Stopping the bad habits might be the key to success. 

Hmmm…Your thoughts can lead you to a greater purpose.  Your purpose gives you motivation for action.  Your actions form new habits.  New habits create your character, and lo and behold, you’re on to the destiny you desire.

So if my purpose is to accomplish my resolution list by letting go of bad habits, can I switch my thinking for the Top 10 Resolutions from 2014?  As a result ultimately getting to the destiny I desire?  I’m game, how about you?  New Year's Resolution Stats

1. Lose weight = “Stop eating ½ bag of chips every night.”
2. Get Organized = “Stop piling, file right away.”
3. Spend Less, Save More = “Stop impulse buying, wait 24-48 hours before making a purchase.”
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest = “Stop focusing on what is bugging you.”
5. Stay Fit and Healthy = “Stop sitting for more than an hour without moving.”
6. Learn Something New = “Stop doing the same thing every day, if it feels like a rut, it is.”
7. Quit Something = “Stop rationalizing to keep doing the thing you want to stop doing.”
8. Help Others in Their Dreams = “Stop talking, just listen.”
9. Fall in Love = “Stop being content with status quo.”
10. Spend More Time with Family = “Stop technology distractions, i.e., texts, snaps, etc. focus on the people in your life.”

Thanks for stopping by!  Cheers to a New Year!  Cheers to letting go of old habits! ~

PS.  Photography 50 Clicks of Snow.  Yesterday I woke up to snow, 5 inches of it.  It was still snowing and blowing out but so pretty.  I knew that I wanted to explore taking pictures of the snow.  I researched on how to capture some pictures in the snow, and protect my camera at the same time.  I think the tips you can find are more for the hard core photographers who spend the whole day in the elements.  Since it was cold and blowing, I was only out there for 20 minutes to get my 50 clicks in. My camera didn't get cold enough to get condensation on the lens.  Hardly hard core!  My mission was to capture snow texture and contrast.  It has been so darn gloomy here…20 some days in a row without the sun.  Just the white of the snow brightened up things a bit.  Today though…the sun was shining bright for a bit.  I wasn't brave enough to venture out in the 12 degrees.  Pictures today were taken from the window looking out at the beauty of the frost.  

Under exposed

Better

Over exposed

Better, but the car in the background...jeez!

Still love close ups and background blurred

Cropped it even more, love the little water droplet

Pretty but gloomy at the same time.

Focus on the back ground

Focus on the foreground - Love the sunshine!

Snow can be so pretty!

Using your traditions as a guide for a stress-free holiday season

Tradition is a guide and not a jailer. – W Somerset Maugham

It’s just 4 days until Christmas.  Are you ready?  Do you have all your baking done?  Do you have all your presents wrapped?  Do you have your menu planned and ingredients shopped for?  Do you have your Christmas cards out in the mail?  Oh boy, the traditional list of things to do or have done by now is long.  Are you feeling stressed to make sure you get it all done?

As I sit here, gearing up for the day.  I wonder, am I ready?  Now that I’m 50, I’ve gotten over the stress of feeling that I have to do everything according to tradition. There’s a different feel for me as the big day approaches.   Still the feeling of Christmas, but not the stress.  Going with minimal decorations, minimal gifts, minimal meal planning and a simple Christmas photo collage sent weeks ago has been stress-free.  I finished up wrapping gifts yesterday. 

Baking...it hadn’t even occurred to me to do cookies this year...perhaps in the back of my mind I know don’t need the calories anyhow?!  Yesterday in a moment of realization that I had forgotten to bake, I decided to see if I could solicited my oldest to do some baking of cookies!  She was excited to do so.   Ah…the old baking tradition created while she was growing up lives on in her! 

There you have it…I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.  Frankly, the lack of trying to do the old traditions is stress-free and refreshing.  I sure hope it doesn’t mean I’ve become a curmudgeon or Scrooge…!  Nah…it is because our kids are grown and not living under the same roof.  It's a perfect time to modify traditions.

Really??  It's okay, it’s not so bad.  We no longer have to hide the gifts.  Thinking back, that tradition ended when they hit the teen years!  It was definitely more cost effective to let them pick out most of their gifts.  Then they liked them and didn’t just keep them, tags still on until the next summer’s thrift sale came around to discard.  This year, that tradition carried on.  They picked out their minimal gifts during our traditional Black Friday shopping trip.  Leaving me with the creative option of wrapping them differently so they can’t remember what it was they picked out weeks ago.  

It isn’t about the gifts though it’s more about being together.  That tradition is the one I treasure the most.  

It is okay to give yourself permission to use your traditions as a guide, don’t be jailed by them.  Use them to shake it up a bit.  Remembering back to the stressful years, it was because I had the feeling I had to do everything just right and do it the same way as the year before.  I felt as though I couldn't help my kids create memories unless we did the tradition the right way. 

In retrospect, I think their anticipation of what was to be, whether according to tradition or not, was what I nurtured and allowed to change as they grew up.  I'm pretty sure they hold some traditions in their heart that they'll always do, and I'm positive they will modify them knowing it is okay to do so.

In the end, it’s about love and being together that mean the most.  You can’t wrap that up in a package! You can relax, enjoy each other’s company, and create the moments you’ll treasure for years to come. 

Thanks for stopping by!  May you use your traditions as a guide.  Enjoy them and enjoy your time together!  

PS –  50 Clicks photo session on 200 ISO & Christmas lights blurred in the background.  Last year, I stumbled upon a website that shared how to blur the Christmas lights in the background.  It’s simply setting your ISO to 200 in manual mode and the rest of the room with bright lights turned on.  The result is fun.  To me it looks like you’ve taken a picture in the dark.  

My Antique Elf on the Shelf - I remember this tradition,
wasn't around so much when my kids were
growing up.  I still bring him out each year.  I love
his little hand painted face and faded outfit.

Oops...moved, the technique requires a steady
camera, and this is what happens when you move.

The little ceramic snow couple were always
set out as decorations as I was growing up.  Again, I moved!

Getting closer to the look I was trying to capture.

The first little snowman family I bought for our
home when our kids were little.

Aw...fond memories of family!

And here you go...the blur, the lighting,
and the placement of the snowman in the frame -
just what I was trying to create.
It reminds me...Let it Snow!  A little bit of
snow on Christmas is a tradition I'll never tire of!

50 is a great time to discover you're not done growing

Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.  – Bo Bennett

We’re Done! – 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!  The big day arrived a week ago!  The AARP envelope arrived earlier that week and made it official, I’m 50.  The next morning I woke up and…I felt the same as the day before.  

So, I’ve given it a week to see if I feel any different?  Nope, still feel the same.  I guess after all these years of experience having birthdays, I’ve gotten so well at adjustment, the turning a new age thing doesn’t bother me much at all.  This last year has been a fun journey of discover though.  I’m ready to move on to discovering why 50 isn’t that bad after all.  I confess too, I'm excited to blog again about just random thoughts again.

For the last month leading up to 50, I discovered letting go of the 40’s is pretty darn easy.  Why?  The obvious, of course, is you can’t stop time, so you might as well accept it.  The less obvious, is when you let go of something, you free yourself to discover new things.  A choice to do new things, outside of my “normal” schedule was refreshing.  I discovered how much I treasure my friends and family.  I found stepping out of my comfort zone has gotten easier over the years.  I found stepping out of your rut, you discover the road less traveled can be bumpy and it can be smooth.  It's simply fun to go with it no matter what.  Stepping out of your comfort zone may be just what you need to keep on keeping on with this crazy thing called life!

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you’ll discover will be wonderful.  What you’ll discover is yourself.  – Alan Alda

The first 49 years gave me the gift of the ability to COPE – Chill, Observe, Persevere and Enjoy.  I take that gift with me to the 50’s and love being me.  Sure, I've made mistakes, but I can't hold on to them with regret.  That's fear holding me back.  Every person makes mistakes as they grow, but no matter what choices you make along the way, they create the person you are meant to be.  The wisdom gained from the mistakes and successes in life only help you continue to grow.  You don’t grow old, you simply continue to grow.  

Without a doubt, I am blessed and thankful beyond words.  I treasure my family, my friends and my life.  There’s no time like the present to discover the next phase in life!   Ready, set, let’s roll on to the 50’s and discover how rich life really is.  

Take time during your 50’s to:

• Travel somewhere you've never been.
• Visit a museum or famous landmark.
• Color your hair, or don’t, it’s your hair, you decide!
• Laugh uncontrollably more times than not.
• Be brave, bold and beautiful.
• Paint something, doesn’t matter what, ‘cuz it’s fun to create.
• Listen intently to the sounds around you.
• Pause, relax and enjoy simple things.
• Tweak traditions.
• Be goofy.
• Taste new foods.
• Walk, run, play, more often than you sit.
• Smile…A LOT!
• Embrace the person you've become and never stop growing!

Thanks for stopping by and for taking this journey of letting go of the 40’s and embracing the 50’s with me!  Enjoy your ability to COPE!  Time keeps on ticking away – be present for each moment! 

How did it get so late so soon?  Its night before its afternoon.  December is here before its June.  My goodness how the time has flewn.  How did it get so late so soon?  Dr. Seuss

PS…photography moments.  I’m setting out to try 50 clicks each time I pick up my camera.  On top of that, I have to keep only the worst one and the best one of the 50 click session.  Now that’s a challenge for me.  Being that I’m the one who took the photos, even if they are horrible, I still see some beauty that I was trying to capture in each one.  I’m getting better at deleting the blurry ones or completely white/black because I had the ISO wrong.  I’m hoping the restriction of finding the worst and the best and deleting the rest will help me focus on composition and clarity. 

One day I saw a fire that was smoldering in a field and I thought…hmmm, that’s something that I haven’t taken a picture of, wonder if I can find something cool to capture?  It was a nice little stroll in the fog.   I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, trying new and different things.  Yep, 50 is going to be great.   

A path is always interesting

But this one is more interesting,
leading into the fog

The tree, the fog, the little fire

Focusing more on the forefront, I'm
not sure which I like better.

Cool contrasts, and flames, maybe a little too dark.

More smoke and a bigger flame.

Tree leaves and fog in the background.

Oh, but the tree and the texture of this one is better.

The reed like weeds were cool looking to me.

I like this composition better,
the small smoke at the bottom,
leading up to the weeds.

It's hard to see, but I actually captured a spider web
on the tree branches in front.  

I like how the branches in front blurred a bit, and the
smoke in the back and flame are more clear.

Time to head back!  See you
in 50 clicks!