A New Year. Again.

2009.

Well, what do you do with that?  I mean, more resolutions?  Ideas and promises to be better parents and spouses?  Ways of staying organized and busy with the business of a well lived life?  What do you do?  I have looked back at many years of resolutions and they seem to have a slight pattern of repetition to them.  It's sort of like the chorus of a song, not a good one, but it has a rhythm, so you keep singing along until it gives you a bit of a headache.  Then what?  All of your good intentions and dreams become the victim of the dreaded New Year's Resolution, the very title somewhat dooms it to failure.  How can we overcome this rhythm headache and continue to better ourselves without the fear of falling down on the job?  Here is what I tend to repeat in my song of the new year:

Lose weight

Take care of myself, in various forms, but generally involving working out and vitamins and such

Read more

Read at all

Make Church and teaching principles a more important part of our daily routine...again, this has various forms.  Scripture reading, Temple attendance...generally the lists of to do's that go along with being a faithful member of this church and striving to be better.  Now let me say, that this has become more of a daily decision than one I make at the beginning of the year, but we will talk about that later.  Moving on:

Play more

Live better

I mean, really, anything that involves the things I wish that I could do but haven't mastered just yet.  Which is the point for me.  Self Mastery.

As I look to this new year, and all that it means in our family and in our community and our country, I look to ways of improving myself and those around me.  I am a steward of many things, myself, my children, my marriage, my home, my faith...and in that is where my improvement can best be measured, or lack thereof.  In any case, it is a new year.  My theme for the year for myself will revolve around the idea of Self Mastery and all that comes with that.  I believe that may be what the point is of this life, to learn to be our best selves and in that, deny ourselves the things of the "natural man".  I am not the first to suggest that, and I am sure that there will be those that agree and those that say, why deny yourself, life is short?  But for me, and for this house, and these babies that I love, it is most important to find the clarity that comes with the success of being in control of ourselves, to the extent that we can.  Does this make sense?  I don't know.  For me, it's about learning when to say no and when to stop saying no and just relax and enjoy.  That does mean working out and eating healthy and reading more and studying and Temple attendance and so many other things that all mix together to create a divine person, someone that I would want to know and be friends with.  I know a few people like that, not too many, but the ones I know are just wonderful.  It isn't to be perfect, but it is to be better.  So, here is to 2009: A Year of Self Mastery