12 Things I'm Not Going To Do In 2017

People are already talking about their goals for 2017. 'Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions. I've read post after post listing the stuff people are going to do starting on January 1st. Lose weight. Get into shape. Quit smoking. Travel more. Be more financially responsible. Retailers have already begun to focus on supporting people's efforts towards better health, organization, financial freedom, etc.

Personally, I'm not a fan of making New Year's Resolutions. People set the bar too high and by March, the new elliptical machine ends up being a $900 coat rack. 

While most of the population is figuring out what they want to do in 2017, I have my mental list of things I'm not going to do in 2017...

1. I'm not going to fall behind on work stuff. All of the stuff I do is work. Baking biscuit love. Creating new homemade dog treat recipes. DIY Dog Mom Projects. Authoring 2 blog sites. Social media. Content management. Housework. Etc. Each day, I have a more than full workload. There are things that need to get done that day. It's important that I get it done. If I don't, it carries over to the next day. That's when I fall behind. It's like the snowball effect.

2. I'm not going to move furniture around. I have a horrible habit of wanting to move furniture around every 6 months or so. Although Lisa would never admit it, I know it drives her nuts. Right now, all of the rooms in our home are filled. Decorated. The furniture is where it should be. It needs to stay that way. So far, this year, I've done really well with this, however, I still fight the urge.

3. I'm not going to work from the sofa on the overnight. When I celebrated The Big 40, Lisa bought me a Chromebook. It allowed me to have portability for when I needed a change of scenery. Sitting in the home office day after day, night after night got stale. I use the Chromebook quite a bit, but over the past year, I've gotten in the horrible habit of using the TV tray as a workstation in the living room on the overnight. There are too many distractions. Magazines. Books. Netflix. Comfy blankets and pillows. Most of the time I end up watching Netflix or dozing off.

4. I'm not going to slack off in the email department. I suck at answering emails and private messages. After reading them, I think, "I'll reply later today or tonight." That never happens. A few days later, they're still sitting there.

5. I'm not going to forget to sit on the floor several times a day. The kids love it when I sit on the floor. I used to do it quite a bit in the living room and kitchen. All of the kids would rush over to me, initiate play, and thoroughly enjoy me being down at their level. Sometimes I get too busy and I forget to do this.

6. I'm not going bite my tongue as much. It seems as if I've gone from one extreme to the other. I used to fly off at the mouth without giving much thought to what I said. Now, I bite my tongue. People have actually send me messages asking if everything is okay. They miss my candid tongue. I need to find that happy medium.

7. I'm not going to let the social media stuff slide. I've worked in the world of social media for almost a decade now. For the past year, I've kind of been on a hiatus. That can't happen. I need to dive back in with the same gusto and enthusiasm I did earlier in my career. I need to build up the communities that I've already established, generate conversation, be a part of the conversations, and stir the pot a bit.

8. I'm not going to lack confidence. I can't tell you how many times I've hesitated to add blog posts to my Bodacious Biscuit Love and Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Facebook pages. I'm not sure why at this point, but I need to get over those hurdles.

9. I'm not going to ignore my camera. I love being behind the lens. Candid photos are my favorite. My camera has sat on my desk more times than I care to admit. As of late, I find myself taking the easy route of snapping photos with my camera. That's great for some stuff, but not most of it.

10. I'm not going to allow my desk to get cluttered. It's out of control. For me, it's become a distraction. I've got dozens of Post-It notes plastered everywhere, reminders, bills to pay, trinkets, bottles of Bath & Body Works body spray, nail polish, vitamins, Excedrin, several containers of pens, and notebooks.

11. I'm not going to fall off the wagon...again. During the first half of the year, I was adhering to the eating lifestyle that did the best for me. Lots of veggies. Lean meat. Very little dairy. No sugar. No flour. I felt incredible, I had a ton of energy, and I was losing some weight. But, as always, I fall off the wagon. Now, I feel like crap. I'm making poor food choices and my body isn't happy with me. I'm giving myself until the end of the year to get my shit together. Once January 1st hits, that's it. No more.

12. I'm not going to let a day go by without giving Lisa a compliment. At least once a day, I thank Lisa for something she's done. Whether it's doing a load of dishes when she gets home from work or finishing up the last batch of dog biscuits at night so I can take a quick nap, I thank her. However, I fail in the compliment department. Lisa has the biggest heart. She's kind. Funny. Generous. Silly. Smart. Hardworking. Motivated. The list goes on. I want her to know all of that. I want her to have the confidence in all of that.