You can’t control everything but what you can plan for you should, doggone it.  Before I had kids, I would sit for hours and hours reviewing the previous year, dreaming and planning for the next.  Sigh.  Today, I tried to steal away a measly two hours to consider what’s important for me to plan in 2012.  Life with 2 smallish kiddo’s continues to derail my coveted “me time,” but, ah, they are worth it.

10 Simple Ways to LOVE Yo Self in 2012

1.  Spend time reflecting on 2011.  If you can accomplish this before 2011 is over, bonus.  Questions are always a useful way to get to the bottom of the reality of your choices.  Check out this post with 20 helpful questions written by blogger, Simple Mom.

2.  Allow yourself to feel the sadness of time or opportunity wasted, people who you have hurt or money squandered.  Regret is a powerful tool when used constructively.  Don’t beat yourself up now, just sit in it and consider the consequences.

3.  Be extremely specific in identifying the ways you can right the wrongs of 2011.

4.  Dream a little a dream or two.  Allow yourself the time to dream about your ideal 2012.  What are the things under your control that you can do to live a peaceable, enjoyable life in which you love others well?

5.  Make a plan.  Again, the more specific the better.  Today, I made a whole new schedule to figure out when I was going to give 30 minutes a day for the Lord, 30 minutes a day to work-out, 4-5 hours a week to blog and another 4-5 hours a week to keep plugging away at my book.  I had to get very specific.  This is what will make December 31, 2012 satisfying.  Looking back and knowing I put the big rocks in the jar first, then the water, then the sand.

6. Boil your plans and goals down to a list, or one very long run-on sentence that describes everything.  Some people boil it down to just a word.  I’m trying that this year, but I still haven’t found my perfect word just yet!  Not to worry, peeps, I still have 8 hours, sheesh.

7. Print, draw or write the list or sentence beautifully and display it somewhere prominently.

8.  Drag yourself out of bed tomorrow morning and look it again.  Grit your teeth and determine that you will follow through as best you can on your plans throughout 2012.

9. On December 31, 2012, look at your list and check off what you did accomplish.  Smile.  Brag about it.

10. Rinse. Repeat.  Your swagger has increased exponentially.

*If your interested in some specifics of goal-setting, check out the post I wrote a few weeks ago.

Go ahead.  I double doggy dare you to love yourself enough to plan

Happy New Years Eve, bleaders & blurkers,

  Anyone done this yet?  What’s on the docket for 2012???