Resolutions...

Guess what?  This is not a catch up about the holidays post.  It's also a picture-less post.  Are you going to keep reading? ;)

I read this awesome talk in the conference issue of the Ensign yesterday.  (For those of you who just went "huh?" the Ensign is a magazine issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...we have a worldwide, broadcasted conference every April and October and the talks given at the conference are published in the following month's Ensign.  Little clearer? :))  The talk was given by President Uchtdorf and I'm sad to say I don't even remember it very well from when he spoke in October.  Thankfully, the Ensign has my back.

So this talk was entitled "Of Regrets and Resolutions."  How fitting for 9 days into the New Year!  New Years Resolutions always make me cringe.  I have a love/hate relationship with them.  Of course I want to become a better person...personally, spiritually, physically, emotionally.  However, I'm not a fan of sitting down and thinking of where I failed the past year and how I'm going to make it better.  I'm just not.  I start getting pessimistic and thinking "oh these are great goals, but am I really going to be able to stick to them?"  I'm a tad bit OCD...so when I set a goal, for example, to read the scriptures every single day I have to read them..every.single.day.  Like...have to.  And if/when I don't, because life is sure to get in the way, I just want to give up the goal completely and start over next year.  Because I missed one day I feel like I could never say I accomplished that goal.

So the spirit of goal making is hard for me.  Here's where the talk comes in.  You can read the whole thing here.  President Uchtdorf suggests making 3 resolutions to help you live a life with no regrets... 

Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.

They seemed so broad at first reading.  Aren't goals supposed to be measureable?  But if, at the end of the year, I can sit down and honestly say I have spent more time with the people I love, have become more of the person God wants me to be and have strived to find happiness in all things, I will seriously feel good about myself.  And if I've lost some weight and am in better shape and my house is more organized I feel REALLY good about myself! ;)

One more thought...President Uchtdorf talked about how declaring your resolutions is great...but the rewards come from actually doing them.  This sentence struck me.

"Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives."

I have announced away about this resolution!  And we've done great...these first 9 days. ;)  But after reading this I have a strong desire to really work hard and making sure we continue our family scripture reading, FHE, prayer, etc...  because I think everybody could use some of those heavenly blessings that he promised us.  I know we really can.

So here's to 2013.  Hopefully it's a good one for us.  We have a lot of hopes, dreams and desires for this year...I'll let you know next year how we did. ;)