Welcome to January's Secret Subject Swap. This week, 14 brave bloggers submitted a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today, we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts, in the first Secret Subject Swap installment of 2015!!!
My “Secret Subject” is:
This year has just begun. What do you plan on doing and what do you plan on avoiding to make this one of your best years?
**Thank you for such a fabulous subject!!**
A new year, a new you! Isn't that how the saying goes? It seems that during this time of year, everyone is on a mission to becoming a better person. For some it is a successful mission, for others it is a not so successful mission. Some stick with it and others give up. Some set far too many goals, and only accomplish a few. Others set not nearly enough. At least, even if only for a brief time, we can all admit that we are not perfect.
Many people tend to have the "I'm perfect/I'm better than you/I don't make mistakes" attitudes. For some it is a permanent thing, and for some it is an every once in a while thing. I try very hard to always admit my faults. To own up to my imperfections. I view them, not as things that make me a failure or less than perfect, but as things that make me who I am. Things that build my character and reveal that I am merely a human.
Being imperfect is not a bad thing. It is a "normal" thing. No person is perfect. I know, shocking information. Not even Matt Damon is perfect. I know, I know. I should have given warning before dropping such a shocking piece of information out there.
I am personally far from perfect. A fact, that as the years have passed, I have become much more appreciative of. Not being perfect adds to my individual uniqueness, and it gives me something to aspire to. I can always change and grow as a person. I can always become better, and learn new lessons.
I quit making resolutions a few years ago. I tend to make goals. I think about what things I would like to change and/or accomplish in the near future, and I do my best to make that happen. Some of my goals take multiple years to achieve. Some never happen. Some change before they happen. Some I sit back and laugh at. Others I revisit and renew my desire to make them happen. Some happen and do not bring about the change I thought it would... sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. No matter what the outcome, I do my best to turn each situation into growth.
We should always learn from our successes and our failures. Everything that happens in our lives, should impact us. Nothing should ever be in vain. I know... much easier said than done, but it is entirely possible.
I recently found out that I have Lupus. I think I am still in shock. I really am not sure how I feel about it, other than scared. With the fear also comes relief. Weird, I know, though I never claimed to be even remotely normal. The relief comes from the answers the diagnosis provides. At least now I know why I have blood clots, why my memory is failing, why I am suffering from several physical ailments, and why I have all the chronic pain. There is definite relief in knowing the why.
I have discovered that there is also disappointment in the why. As odd as it may seem, I am actually a very optimistic person. Now knowing why, and knowing it is permanent, I realize that I had been optimistically hopeful, that I would be healed. Now, I know that healing is not possible. That is okay, because endurance is possible. Acceptance is possible. Coping is possible.
I tend to start thinking about the new year in November. I start contemplating what goals I will make for the upcoming years. Which goals I will carry over, which I will quit working on, and what new ones I need to make. I had come up with several for this year, but now that I know about the Lupus, I have completely changed my 2015 goal plan.
I want to accept that I have Lupus. Not just acknowledge that I have it, but actually make peace with the fact that I have it. I want to learn everything I can about it. I want to work closely with my doctors and come up with a successful treatment plan. I want to come up with a plan of action, to make living a good life despite the Lupus possible. I am sure this will be a goal for the next few years.
I want to make needed changes in my life, to make my life better. I want to completely organize our home. This way I can relax and just live. I want to come up with a system that works. One that helps me remember all I need to remember, and stay organized. Over the last couple of years, I have forgotten many things, which is not characteristic of me at all. I figured it was "pregnancy brain" and then "mom of a newborn brain". I now know that it is actual Lupus brain.
I plan on continuing my weight loss, until I achieve my absolute goal. I am almost there. Much closer than I was when I started. I plan on getting all my vitamin and mineral levels to an acceptable place. Currently, I am deficient in several. The healthier I am, the better I can live.
I plan on not letting myself get overwhelmed or discouraged. I plan on not letting myself give up. I plan on not letting myself make excuses. I plan on not letting myself give up on the things I want to do, just because they may be more difficult than originally anticipated.
I really want to take this blog up. Does that make sense? Haha. I want to make this blog better. It has been my goal for a few months now. I still want to continue with that goal.
What about you... do you have any goals? Do you make them yearly? I'd love to hear what you want to do in 2015!
Happy New Year! I hope it is an awesome year! Thank you for reading!
Here are links to all the fabulous sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup (preferably of coffee), and check them all out. See you there:
