New Year's Resolutions

I am not usually one for making new year resolutions, but this year I think I will make an exception. Apparently having the last two weeks of December off from work is enough for one to wallow in thoughts of all that one has not fully accomplished in one's life yet. Certainly, I have a great life and have been blessed many times over, but there have been many challenges and frustrations along the way as well. Being a perfectionist at times, it is easy to get in a rut of feeling less than adequate. This is such a female thing to do. Since I am the only one who can take the reigns in my life, I have decided to make a few resolutions, and if I put it out in the blogosphere, that is all the more motivation to follow through.

In no particular order, things I want to do in 2015:

• Be kinder to others.

This is not to say that I do not try to be kind to others in general, but everyone has moments when more patience could have been used in place of annoyance, hastiness, irritability, and a quick temper. It takes a lot of patience and effort to wait a few seconds before responding in less than ideal circumstances, but it pays off in the long run because usually a situation will either diffuse quickly or not even become a situation in the first place because of remembering to be kind to others.

Along with this, I am done with passive-aggressive apologies. Unfortunately, I caught myself this past year quite a few times in the act. "I am sorry that you took it that way... I am sorry that you were so offended... I am sorry that you misunderstood what I said." The list could go on. Any apology that puts the action back on the other person is not an apology. All it does is make the other person feel awful and incite a emotionally charged response. If you dish it out, expect it to be served back to you. It certainly was for me, and it was not fun to be on the receiving end. So, I am swearing off this type of language and might start to call others out on it because I am so tired of it. Keep it short, and keep it simple. "I'm sorry" will suffice and works wonders. Own up to actions that rub others the wrong way, whether intentional or not, and be forgiving of others is going to be a motto for 2015.