If We're Talking About the Chinese New Year, I'm Early

Here we are in the midst of January (the Ides of January, if it had Ides) and I am finally ready to detail my New Year's Resolution(s).

History shows that I am not a fan of resolving/promising/vowing things because I like to keep my options open.

For example: I don't want to vow to do the South Beach diet because the moment I do, the best looking chocolate cake in the whole world will whisper to me and I will a) torment myself by not eating it or b) torment myself in an entirely different way by eating it.

Had I not vowed to give up sweets, I could've made the decision from a much more rational state of mind and just eaten the chocolate cake without feeling guilty.

So anyway, I took to heart Lisa's post about making a New Year's Resolution in one word.

One word seems possible.

So I thought and prayed about what word would grow me in 2009.

Not in a "pick the right word or the year will be toast by February" way, but in a "small changes ultimately make the most difference" way.

I think there is some acronym out there in the Bidness World that talks about how you should create goals.

The only ones I remember are "definable," "measureable," "achievable."

That would make the acronym either DAM or MAD and I don't ever remember Brad's boss encouraging him to work on his DAM goals.

(Maybe if he was a snowboarder, he would focus on MAD goals, but due to some injuries like broken elbows and torn rotator cuffs, Brad knows that if he is caught in the same room with a snowboard ever again, he will not emerge alive.)

All that to say, I've found that for me, ultra-specific goals often fall short.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but goals like "eat more vegetables this year" prove more productive than "eat vegetables three times a week."

All those Big-wig Leader Types talk about being specific blah blah blah.

But I am more likely to follow through if I can give myself the grace to realize that some weeks are more conducive to eating veggies 4 times and other weeks are conducive to having pizza every night.

The focus shifts to making the best choice for each situation rather than eating vegetables at a Super Bowl party just to fill some requirement that no one cares about but ME.

Are you remotely following me?

So, wrapping my mind around one word and applying it to the diverse situations I encounter seems far more manageable than making up dramatic list of do's and don'ts just for the sake of having resolutions.

Oh yes, my word.

Are you ready?

Prepare to be underwhelmed.

It is less.

Several aspects of my personality tend to get overly wrapped up into going overboard.

(That why I made this cake. If one kind of chocolate is good...aren't four kinds of chocolate better?)

There is a time and a place for excitement and lavishness.

There is also a time and a place to throttle back and not miss the forest for the trees.

(I forgot to mention that it's good to use lots of slogans when you're writing about New Year's Resolutions. I will try to work "New Year, New You" into this post at some point.)

Right now, I am not quite sure what exactly "less" entails.

For sure, less stuff, less commitments, less impulsiveness, less me.

Obviously, that opens the doors (mainly of time and resources) for more.

More time with people I dearly love, more time for people I want to serve, more time for commitments that are precious.

(And before you think I am getting all high and mighty, just know that I am not giving up "The Bachelor" or MarioKart.)

I surely haven't got this whole "one word" deal figured out, but I am positive that as I spend more time with Jesus, he will graciously empty me of self and fill me with Him.

So here's hoping this year will be LESS-tastic!

Wonder-LESS!

LESS-a-Rama!

Or (if I'm honest) probably a little hard and a little great...all at once.