Top Ten Resolutions

Dare I write about my New Year's Resolutions? Is it expected? Does anyone but me really care? If I tell everyone what my resolutions are, via this blog, am I held to those resolutions? If I share them with you and then fail, can I be truthful and admit it? I think the beauty of a blog is that I imagine I'll be held accountable, and I like that. It's the incentive I need to stick to my promises to myself. If I say them out loud (or write them for all to see), then I will try harder to live up to my word. I feel a sense of responsibility towards my readers to stay on course. That being said, here are some resolutions that I'm going to work towards.

1. Fresh blogging. This is something that I really want to achieve. When I miss a few days of blogging and then see that a follower from British Columbia, or St. Petersburg, or Leiden, Zuid-Holland has dropped in several times to read my blog, I'm disappointed in myself that the blog is a few days old. I worry that it could be the last time that reader comes to visit. So I resolve to write daily or every other day. Even if it means going to bed a little later or rising a little earlier, I'm going to write.
2. Daily creativity. Whether it's making something from polymer clay, creating a collage, or designing something in photoshop, I want to stop wasting time and start creating more! I will post my daily creativity here! (oh boy!!)
   
3. Building the cake topper business. I made the decision that I will continue with my cake toppers. My plan is to build the business on etsy and ebay and add more information to my website. I read that approximately 5 million brides and grooms get married each year in the United States and that it's a 50 billion dollar a year industry. I need to keep making my cake toppers! (wedding business)
4. Chair exercising. I have bad arthritis in my knees and a bone spur behind my knee, so I've become more sendentary. I read about a great way to exercise where you sit in a chair, listen to dance music and have a workout. It's been designed for older adults, people with diabetes, wheel-chair pound persons, etc. There can't be any excuses for me with something as low impact as sitting and exercising! (chair exercises)
5. Make more, spend less. I want to have more money for myself. I want to pay less to cable, and gas and electric. I would rather hold on to my money in my pocket, go to the beach more often, or buy myself art supplies than hand it over to the cable company or Utilities. So I've reduced costs already and hopefully, in the future, I'll be able to tell.
6. Simplify. Part of my resolution to spend less. I want to think twice before I buy something. (Do I really need another $5.00 worth of scrapbooking paper when I already have 100's of sheets?)
   
7. Organize. How original. It's probably on everyone's list. But, it's one of my greatest flaws and I have to keep chipping away at my messes. Every time I clean out a box or a closet I find art supplies or craft products, make-up and accessories and even sometimes, money. It pays to get organized!
8. Be happy. I'm pretty happy now and I want to stay that way.
9. Stop and smell the roses. For the longest time now, I've lived my life to savor the small moments: To take a deep breath of autumn leaves, to let the warm summer wind blow on my face, to listen to the gurgling rush of river as it flows behind my house. I've never needed much more than that to feel complete contentment. Anything better than that is icing on my cake. Thoreau said, That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.
10. Build and maintain good relationships. I want to surround my self with positive friends and family. I want to distance myself from negativity and dysfunction. I want to inspire myself and others to make the best of ourselves. Life's too short to be miserable.
    
    
    There's my list. It's all about improving myself and living my life the way I want to live it.

To start out my resolutions, here's a picture that I painted for my living room. It's a collage, 10 inches by 10 inches.