Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

As 2009 comes to an end a lot of people are reflecting on what the 1st decade of the new millennium has meant to them. There are a lot of "best of" list out there and I have enjoyed looking at them. One list that I am looking forward to is the "Best of the Decade Reads" from the ladies of APOOO. Just a small side note, if you are ever looking for new and interesting reads stroll through the post over at APOOO for some great choices.

I am not making resolutions this year, however I am setting life goals, which I plan to follow up on monthly in my quest to improve the woman I am. Resolutions are often made with the thought that you are going to set these resolutions and because you have resolved to do/not do said items as of January 1 of whatever year you are actually going to stick with it. Raising my hand and admitting that resolutions NEVER worked for me.

Towards the end of 2009 I started to look at people, events and habits in my life. I realized first that there were a lot of "friends" I was hanging onto that I needed to let go of. Why keep someone around who are malicious, do not have your best interest at heart or do not realize that you do not have to be a carbon copy of them and their habits in order to be their friend. My friends are people who know we do not need to speak everyday for them to be on my mind. My friends accept me, with my faults and do not judge me for them.

My life goals are set because they will enrich my life. I don't set them to make people happy, do what others think I should do or be socially acceptable amongst anyone. I have my planner already set for 2010 with appointments for myself to review my goals, which gives me a head start on one of my goals.

2010 Goals:

1. Become more organized(started already)
2. Take more me time away from the husband and kids guilt free
3. Embark on a healthy lifestyle change with my sisters
4. Pick my classes to begin taking this summer
5. Set aside time to work on my book
6. Read 100 books by the end of the year( I read 57 in 2009)
7. Purchase a bible in an easier to comprehend translation and embark on a more spiritual path
8. Work on my financial portfolio
9. Plan our family vacation, including my siblings and their families
10. Become active in my local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

Since this is about life goals and not New Years Resolutions I know this list will grow and I look forward to the new things I experience as a result of my goals. I am thankful for the past year and all of the changes that it brought. The people whom I have lost this year will always live in my heart and I use the strength they showed as a lesson to keep going, doing, striving and believing.

In closing, the statement "friends are in your life for a reason, season or life time" has really helped me sort people out. As I told my girlfriend, I am organizing things in boxes in my mind. Some of those boxes will remain open, some will be closed, but I will look at them when I need to and others will be sealed because that is where they belong, locked out of my life.

I hope 2010 brings you a more prosperous year and that you are able to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!