New Year’s Resolutions for Myself

I can’t really say I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. When I was a little girl, I always thought they were exciting and fun. The idea of changing yourself and growing yourself was somehow something that really resonated with me. As I got older, I realized there was never a resolution I ever accomplished. Although I had goals to achieve things like a slimmer waistline and lower numbers on the scale, I never was dedicated enough to actually follow through with anything. 

I’m not alone. Most people who make resolutions don’t actually change anything about themselves. I’ve spent the last few weeks wondering why that is? Is it that we, as humans, are so reluctant to change that we stop ourselves from accomplishing things that we want for the sake of maintaining the status quo? It’s funny, I never thought about the term resolution until recently. I realized that to resolve something just means to decide or conclude. That was revolutionary to me! I realized that a resolution didn’t have to be something that I hated while it grew me. A resolution could be a decision that I loved! With that in mind, I thought about the things that I love and what I want to carve out time for in my life.

Resolving to Focus on Faith, Family, and Food

Obviously, at the top of my list is God and my family. I also love to cook, and have an overwhelming desire to learn to master the art of baking with sourdough, and milling my own grains. With those things in mind, I came up with three resolutions for the year that will allow me to spend more time with the Lord more time with my family and improve upon my baking skills. 

Faith Resolution

I’m not quite sure why I’m putting all of this out there for everyone to see. Maybe it adds that extra layer of accountability? My resolutions for this year are centered on faith, family, and food. I’ve purchased God Hears Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women to get me into the word for a few minutes every day. If I’m honest, my walk has been less than close with the Lord lately.  life can be so busy and hectic at times and setting aside a few minutes every day to spend with the Lord Has not been a priority for me. My hope, my goal, my resolution or decision is to start my day each day spending a few minutes with the Lord.

Family Resolution

My second resolution is for my family. My greatest desire in life is to be present and spend time with my family. Working a full-time job, despite working from home, is something that causes me to put my family on the back burner at times. I hate that I can’t take my kids to the park or read books in the middle of the day without worrying about meetings or dropping everything to take an important customer call. If I’m honest, it’s almost more difficult to work from home. When I worked outside of the home, I didn’t see how much I said no to my son and yes to my job. Working from home, it is ever present in my mind how often that happens now.

All that being said, my goal is to publish 75 blog articles this year. I understand that seems like a goal that takes even more time away from my family. It could be. However, I know that growing and developing this platform will lead to increased finances and the opportunity to say no to my job, and yes to my family. This will probably be the most challenging decision I’ve made to grow myself this year. In the past, I have made several attempts at starting online businesses and blogs. My biggest challenge has been staying consistent with posting content. It essentially boils down to staying motivated. I’m a starts and fits kind of person. I go 100 mph and then abruptly stop. It’s an unhealthy pattern for me, but I know that consistent dedication will pay off in the long run. I have so many ideas on what to post and videos to make. I just need to actually make it happen.

Food Resolution

My last resolution for this year is to truly master sourdough baking and milling my own grains. On the most recent season of the great British baking show, Paul Hollywood told Tasha that she understood bread. That really hit me. I want to understand bread and more over sourdough baking as a whole. I am currently very comfortable with my artisan loaves and have recently started branching out into sandwich breads. In an attempt to truly know, and understand baking with natural yeast, a.k.a. sourdough, I have purchased several books that go beyond simple recipes, and get into the nitty-gritty of what it means to bake with sourdough. My hope is that with this better understanding, I can bring what I’ve learned to those who follow me on different platforms. Sourdough is so nutritious and allows grains to be more easily digested, adding fresh milled flour to the mix only increases the nutritional value and benefit for my family.

So there you have it, my decision, or resolution to grow myself this year. I aim to make myself a better person by strengthening my walk with Jesus. I aim to make myself a more present and available mother by growing a business that allows me to step away from my full-time job. And lastly, I aim to grow my skills as a home baker by mastering the art of sourdough and fresh milled flour. I’ll check back next year and see how far I’ve come. How do you resolve to grow yourself this year?