My year-end question to you
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themedalist
Posts: 3,215 Member
I have a year-end question for you. Thinking back over 2017, what has changed for you personally this year? How is your life better this year? Do you have an achievement or accomplishment you’re especially proud of this year? Did you learn a new skill or pick up a new hobby that has made your life better? Maybe taken a trip that inspired you and motivated you in some way? Have some of our weekly challenges become habits for you that are making your life better?
When we wrap up 2017 in a few weeks, you’ll have had 525,600 minutes this year to live your life in a way that is meaningful to you. Yes, I’m sure you’ve had struggles and challenges, but I would just love to hear some of the highlights for you this year. I am especially interested in how you feel you’ve changed for the better in 2017. To me, getting a little better each year is the perfect counter balance for getting older.
I’m looking forward to your thoughts!
Warmly,
Denise
When we wrap up 2017 in a few weeks, you’ll have had 525,600 minutes this year to live your life in a way that is meaningful to you. Yes, I’m sure you’ve had struggles and challenges, but I would just love to hear some of the highlights for you this year. I am especially interested in how you feel you’ve changed for the better in 2017. To me, getting a little better each year is the perfect counter balance for getting older.
I’m looking forward to your thoughts!
Warmly,
Denise
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Replies
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This year, I’ve made more progress in lining up my values, priorities, and goals for my life with how I spend my time each day. “How you spend your days is how you spend your life” is very true! So now, each morning I mull over the 1440 minutes I’ve been gifted that day and try to make the most of my minutes. Being 55, I have more years behind me now than I have in front of me. I’m OK with that — but it’s more important than ever that I not waste my time. To me, that’s the real benefit of having a healthy body— it’s an asset and not a liability in achieving my goals.
My life is better balanced than it was a year ago. My house and my life are less cluttered than they were a year ago. I’ve taken several Udemy courses this year to improve my writing and that’s helped me both personally and professionally. And I’ve gotten so much joy from this group! Thank you all for participating. It’s the perfect platform for me to think about self improvement and how to craft weekly challenges in bite-sized pieces that create healthier habits. When we’re healthier, we’re also happier.5 -
I always end my year with a word. This year’s word is refocus. I did not meet my weight goal but I did lose 30 lbs in the beginning. I am more grateful and mindful and exercising daily to keep my anxieties in check. Refocusing on my health and eating habits. Refocusing my time, energy and efforts towards those who have value in my life. I have a happiness jar filled with happy notes we started writing Jan 1 st. It forces me to see the happy in everyday and I plan to continue the tradition in the new year. Thanks Denise for this post.8
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Refocus is a terrific word, @prgirl39mfp! It’s shows determination, commitment, clarity in your goals, yet a recognition that perfection isn’t necessary to making real, sustained progress. You have indeed made huge strides this year!3
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Thank you @themedalist. Your support and this group has been crucial.2
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I added yoga to my mix of exercise and I'm finding it both a challenge and a delight. I continue to get so much benefit from MFP, and I keep finding better ways to use it as a resource and to enjoy the connections with all the friends I have made here. My year has been wonderful! This week I just returned to my new, "adjusted" goal weight .My original goal was a bit too low for me and not sustainable.
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I finaly finished my first degree! It has been such a long time going for me, and i still have more school to go, but one degree done! And i have two interviews in my field this week! I finally feel like my life is getting somewhat on track lol6
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I finally lost more then 10 lbs. Usually when I would diet, I would only get down 10 lbs, plateau, get discouraged, and gain it back. Overtime, I would lose 10, gain 15, over and over til I was really unhappy. I finally made the choice to take my health seriously, and I have since lost 40 lbs! I still have more to go, but I am so proud to have gotten this far.
Congrats to all and all you have accomplished. I think I could do some decluttering myself, so that will be my new goal for the new year. That, and finish dropping at least another 40 lbs. I'll never get back to my "ideal" weight, and I am good with that. Even where I am now is way better than where I was before, but I'd like to lose more before I move into maintain mode.6 -
themedalist wrote: »To me, getting a little better each year is the perfect counter balance for getting older.
I can't agree more. Thank-you so much for these challenges and opportunities to reflect on things I wouldn't normally in a busy life.
This year I have tried to make me a priority. I've decided I AM WORTH doing or not doing things. I have a giant list of to do's which has simply become psychic clutter itself so I've chosen one thing from it and then put the list aside. The one thing I then divided into smaller bits.
This year my brother was diagnosed with ALS and it's cleared several things up for me. My 'new' plan was transferred from managing a health scare that worked for me. In 1987/88 I was very ill and spent a long time in hospital culminating in brain surgery. In order to not overwhelm myself I decided to take one step at a time. All I needed to think about was the next test/procedure. This kept me somewhat sane.
I decided if it worked then for that why can't I use it now?
As a result I'm beginning to cross things off my list.
- I've almost completed a quilt for my very own bed. Just the borders remain.
- The stack of fabric I've gathered over the years to make Christmas gift bags is now bags not fabric.
- I've stopped ironing shirts, unless they are horribly in need. Picture dress shirts on a clothesline. Dryer done is now getting put straight on hangers.
- I'm working on decluttering with plans to make room for the purchase of a treadmill.
- I've placed a deposit on a space at a retreat for next year. It's taken me 5 years to not feel guilty about doing this once a year and I think I managed that this year.
- I've slowly taken some physical weight off as well and hope to continue this trend.
- When I'm considering making a new recipe I decided to use one in my recipe box and then decide if it's really worth keeping.
These all seem like very small things but they're making a big impact in my world.
Thanks again.6 -
@bcTRAI and @MmamabearR, it sounds like you've both made some real strides this year and have great plans for next. @MmamabearR , so sorry about your brother's diagnosis, but your plan of dealing with it sounds great.2
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I have lost some weight. My body FEELS so much lighter. I have started de-cluttering my house. My mind FEELS so much lighter.
The biggest change for me has been strength. This past year was the first time in years that I have been strong enough to really exercise,
And really gain strength. I feel so much better physically that I also feel better and stronger mentally. So much better!5 -
I added yoga to my mix of exercise and I'm finding it both a challenge and a delight. I continue to get so much benefit from MFP, and I keep finding better ways to use it as a resource and to enjoy the connections with all the friends I have made here. My year has been wonderful! This week I just returned to my new, "adjusted" goal weight .My original goal was a bit too low for me and not sustainable.
Congrats, @77tes on another healthy year! Yoga is a terrific addition to your fitness routine. And finding a maintenance weight that is sustainable for you is huge. 10 years ago I weighed about 15 pounds less than I do now. I was always fighting with my body just to stay at that weight. What’s the point of that? Maintenance is much easier at my higher, yet still healthier, weight.
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I finaly finished my first degree! It has been such a long time going for me, and i still have more school to go, but one degree done! And i have two interviews in my field this week! I finally feel like my life is getting somewhat on track lol
This is a fantastic accomplishment, @cshock93! Good for you! And having two interviews in your field this week is terrific. Our fingers are crossed for you!
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MmamabearR wrote: »I finally lost more then 10 lbs. Usually when I would diet, I would only get down 10 lbs, plateau, get discouraged, and gain it back. Overtime, I would lose 10, gain 15, over and over til I was really unhappy. I finally made the choice to take my health seriously, and I have since lost 40 lbs! I still have more to go, but I am so proud to have gotten this far.
Congrats to all and all you have accomplished. I think I could do some decluttering myself, so that will be my new goal for the new year. That, and finish dropping at least another 40 lbs. I'll never get back to my "ideal" weight, and I am good with that. Even where I am now is way better than where I was before, but I'd like to lose more before I move into maintain mode.
I think a lot of us can relate to your post, @MmamabearR. Yo yo-ing is such a familiar trap. Focusing on your health and making sustainable changes is a mindset shift. I’m not surprised it’s led you to lose 40 pounds. Congratulations!
Decluttering has some parallels to losing weight. Pitching or recycling unneeded items is getting rid of the flabby excesses that weigh our homes and our lives down. Paring down the fat in my possessions and tidying up junky areas has let the things in my home that I love and give me pleasure really shine.
There’s a parallel in writing too. As I mentioned, I’ve been taking several online writing courses from two different instructors. Both stressed how important it is to simplify sentences by ruthlessly cutting unnecessary words. Sentences can also get really flabby and flabby sentences are extra work for the reader to slog through. I had never thought about it that way and it’s helped me become a better writer.
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themedalist wrote: »To me, getting a little better each year is the perfect counter balance for getting older.
I can't agree more. Thank-you so much for these challenges and opportunities to reflect on things I wouldn't normally in a busy life.
This year I have tried to make me a priority. I've decided I AM WORTH doing or not doing things. I have a giant list of to do's which has simply become psychic clutter itself so I've chosen one thing from it and then put the list aside. The one thing I then divided into smaller bits.
This year my brother was diagnosed with ALS and it's cleared several things up for me. My 'new' plan was transferred from managing a health scare that worked for me. In 1987/88 I was very ill and spent a long time in hospital culminating in brain surgery. In order to not overwhelm myself I decided to take one step at a time. All I needed to think about was the next test/procedure. This kept me somewhat sane. I decided if it worked then for that why can't I use it now?
As a result I'm beginning to cross things off my list.
- I've almost completed a quilt for my very own bed. Just the borders remain.
- The stack of fabric I've gathered over the years to make Christmas gift bags is now bags not fabric.
- I've stopped ironing shirts, unless they are horribly in need. Picture dress shirts on a clothesline. Dryer done is now getting put straight on hangers.
- I'm working on decluttering with plans to make room for the purchase of a treadmill.
- I've placed a deposit on a space at a retreat for next year. It's taken me 5 years to not feel guilty about doing this once a year and I think I managed that this year.
- I've slowly taken some physical weight off as well and hope to continue this trend.
- When I'm considering making a new recipe I decided to use one in my recipe box and then decide if it's really worth keeping.
These all seem like very small things but they're making a big impact in my world.
Thanks again.
@bcTRAI, your post gets at the heart of my goal for this group. We make progress in our lives when we take action and the small actions we take have the most impact because they are the most sustainable. We have a finite amount of time during the day and lots of competition for how we spend our minutes. Focusing on this step, and then the next step, is a terrific approach. Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of anything just leads to paralysis and doing nothing.
Far from being small things, your list of things you’ve accomplished this year is huge! You didn’t just think about doing them, you did them. No wonder they are changing your world.
I’m very sorry to hear about your brother.2 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »I have lost some weight. My body FEELS so much lighter. I have started de-cluttering my house. My mind FEELS so much lighter.
The biggest change for me has been strength. This past year was the first time in years that I have been strong enough to really exercise,
And really gain strength. I feel so much better physically that I also feel better and stronger mentally. So much better!
I just love this, @corinasue1143! You have made tremendous strides in improving your health this year! Congrats! Losing weight does make you feel lighter and less weighed down, which will make you more energetic and able to do even more. Feeling stronger mentally and physically is wonderful. So many positive ripple effects!
I think 2018 is going to be a terrific year for you!
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I had to ponder this question of how my life has become better for me this year. Sometimes when I'm feeling stressed it seems too hard to focus on the positive. So I had to take a step back and rethink how I was thinking.
So I recently downloaded the audio book from the library called "Hardwiring Happiness" by Rick Hanson. This book had been recommended or cited in the resources for one of our challenges a while ago, but I had not gotten very far when I had attempted to read the book back then. So I am now listening to it this time, and it is helping me become, again, much more aware of how much my thoughts influence me, as well as my brain. So I am becoming much more aware, again, of what I am thinking, knowing that I can choose what I want to think.
So yes, there has been some good changes in my life this year.
Earlier this year I returned back to MFP to get myself back on track again after a little over two years of focusing on my role in my younger brother's recovery after his being involved in a bad pedestrian/ vehicle hit and run (alcohol related) accident by an SUV.
I am back to my goal weight range again as well as back to exercising more, and eating more healthy, more often than not.
My house is more decluttered than it was last year. My garden and yard looks much better after being neglected for the most part those 2 years. I am going to continue those projects. I am looking forward to it.
Also this year I got back to reading the Bible and other encouraging books, or enjoyable novels, more often again. Or just sitting and enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and enjoying the moment, or sometimes taking the time to color in my books instead of always being in a have to get it done or cleaned first mode.
I have purposely gotten out of my comfort zone or normal routines to do things differently, or to try something entirely new.... just because I can. I am also seeking out different opportunities to learn, read, or see new/ different things, or to relearn or refresh a skill in something that I learned before, but no longer use at this time of my life. I am being made more aware that I need to be more attentive to being a lifelong learner, especially as I got older this year.
I'm standing and walking more than I am sitting, more often than not. And when I forget to get back up I realize it more quickly. (Even though I might ignore the prompting for awhile).
I have learned new, and often better ways, of doing things that I wouldn't have thought of, or sometimes even known about, by participating in these weekly challenges and sharing in the posting and reading of the responses to the challenges. I am grateful for those opportunities.
And actually, lately I have recognized that I am feeling more hopeful in several ways as I am leaving 2017 behind me. And looking forward to 2018.
I am grateful to be part of this group. Thank you Denise, and also to everyone that I have met here this year
:flowerforyou:2 -
So many things for me, hysterectomy and joining mfp are at the top of my list, happy and healthy new year everyone and many thanks Denise!!!!3
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@texasgardnr, you made tremendous strides in 2017. I’m so glad Hardwiring Happiness is helpful to you. It takes practice to control your thoughts, rather than be controlled by them, but the rewards for doing so are many.
And naturally, I’m thrilled to hear you are sitting less and moving more!1 -
fatbambi2017 wrote: »So many things for me, hysterectomy and joining mfp are at the top of my list, happy and healthy new year everyone and many thanks Denise!!!!
Excellent! Really glad you've joined our group, @fatbambi2017! I enjoy reading your posts!
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