New Year's Resolution (or as a friend put it: commitment)

I am committed to be kinder - to myself, family, friends, and all of the creatures on the planet.

The reason I chose to be kinder is because I think life is complicated and this complexity is the root of stress.

Work gets more complicated with added responsibility = more stress. Family life gets more complicated when elder members fall ill and you have to care for them = more stress. Friend relationships get more complicated when divorce and child birth occur = more stress. Lose your job = more stress. Have a job you don't like = more stress. Can't find a job = more stress. Selling a house = more stress. Loosing a house = more stress. Having a child = more stress. Can't get pregnant = more stress. Fighting with loved ones = more stress. Loosing a loved one = more stress.

And everyone has experienced one of these instances at one point or another in their life, which translates into everyone is experiencing stress all the time.

I've allowed stress and anxiety to eat me up literally from the inside out. So this year, and going forward, I resolve to be kinder to myself. I am learning how to meditate. I am exploring what I want from life and how to obtain it (not just materials things, but also something simple and complex as happiness). I am going to be available to help family & friends when they need it. I am going to volunteer more. I am going to get back to nature as much as possible. I am going to be kinder to my body and what I put in to it.

But above all, I'm going to cut myself some slack. I am not perfect, not sure why I feel the need to beat myself up when I make a mistake. We only have a finite time on this planet in mortal form, and I need to start enjoying myself & be happy...before I wake up and I'm 85 wondering where all the time went and regretting all the choices I didn't make.

2013 for me = be kinder :)

I hope your 2013 is everything you hope it will be!