The Most Resolute

Of all of my daily routines (showering, checking the classifieds for jobs, toothbrushing, getting dressed, etc.) - my FAVORITE activity is blog reading. I click on my Google Reader account, and hundreds of possibilities pop into view. I like to use the shortcuts so I can read through them faster. I works well with my ADHD (which for some reason seems to have gotten much worse lately.) And this has been my favorite time of year to read blogs. I adore the Christmas craft posts which brilliantly segue into the gloriously inspiring New Year's posts.

I already posted about my crafty resolutions. I guess all resolutions essentially come down to the constant struggle to be a better version of yourself. I am already reaping the benefits of changes I made for the new year. Not big things, but still happiness makers. I have a place to put my purse now. I am being thrifty and eating out of my pantry and ended up with a delicious dinner - AND ended up with two meals of leftovers. Here's a quote I found via one of my favorite blogs: “One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, once one knows of the necessary ingredients of happiness — simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain.” — George Sand (French female writer)

I am going to let that quote serve as an outline for my goals.

1) SIMPLE TASTES - This is easy. Try recipes. Wear my favorite clothes. Tell stories. Make art. Read books. Easy... and happy.

2) A CERTAIN DEGREE OF COURAGE- This is the trickier part. This is for all of the things that aren't in the outline - the TBD aspects, the hurdles, the pits. This is what facilitates the "never say I didn't try."

3) SELF-DENIAL TO A POINT - This is where the budgeting and monitoring of spending comes into play. I didn't spend a cent yesterday, but today I had to buy salad and ground beef to add to the dinner I made for Jeff, Brad, and I. And... I sort of also bought this coat on eBay, except I got a MUCH MUCH MUCH better value than this listing. (I got 90% off the retail price!) But I don't feel too awful about this. I really needed a coat. I guess this is the "to a point" part of the self-denial. I didn't buy the $90 coat I wanted from Kohl's! I got this more practical option instead! I just hope it fits...

4) LOVE OF WORK - This one is kind of obvious. I want to find work that I love. Part of this is finding a job where I won't have to worry about bills or not having health insurance. I am doing what I can to make that happen. This means not giving up when jobs are reposted after not interviewing me. This means sending my resume and application to places that haven't even posted openings. This also applies to the other stuff I do too - my writing, crafting, and music making. I have a hundred million ideas about things I want to make, write, and do, but I will save those for another post.

5) A CLEAR CONSCIENCE - My Jiminy Cricket. Accountability. Honesty. With yourself and with others. One blogger said to start each day by writing down the three most important tasks for your day. That could work. Focus. Truth.