1/3/13

13 Best Life Guidelines for 2013

I appreciate all the positive feedback for my last blog post, but I have to be honest. I have issues and I need to work on them. Like immediately! So yeah, I will count the freckled faces & dead animals this year, but I also NEED to see the pounds on the scale go down and to dedicate my time & energy on the people and things in life I find most important. So being the best Julie Stephenson I can be requires a bit of hard work, a lot of focus & a some new habits.

In order to make that happen I must follow certain guidelines that I know work best for me...if I'm willing to work hard and focus. These guidelines are simple, but they don't change things overnight. They need to be nurtured. They required intentional and conscience living. These 13 guidelines require constant practice. They may change as my life changes, but these address my biggest challenges in life and must become my biggest priority in order for me to be at my best.

Unfortunately, these guidelines are also easily pushed to the back burner when I feel stressed, overwhelmed, tired, sick, taken advantage of, or annoyed. Which according to my journal is my most consistent feeling! This comes as no surprise to my husband, kids, friends, fellow school board members - you know anyone who has seen me regularly in the last year and a half. They know I'm annoyed! Anyway, before I get too annoying about how annoyed I am here are my 13 Best Life Guidelines. I believe by sticking to these simple and specific tasks I will be a better Julie Stephenson 365 days from now...or I will be super fricking annoyed!

  1. Be active outside for 30 minutes every single day.
  2. Eat only shamefree food.
  3. Write every single day.
  4. Develop my strengths.
  5. Hold the tension.
  6. Exercise more days than not in a month.
  7. Read more.
  8. Screen less.
  9. Build relationships.
  10. Be grateful.
  11. Live without shame every single day.
  12. Keep a daily family log.
  13. Only wear elastic waist pants between 7pm - 7am. This was a late addition. Made necessary after putting jeans on yesterday for the first time in about two and a half weeks...WOW! Not pretty or comfortable...or safe for anyone standing near me. When the button pops, and it will, someone will probably lose an eye. 
What do you think?