i resolve to be intentional in 2011

Do you ever feel like you're doing too much "stuff" and not getting done what (1) needs to be done and (2) what you really want to get done?  I feel like I've been in this rut for the past year.  I hate to complain too much about it because I'm doing fun things with my time, but these fun things aren't necessarily what is most important to me.  Curious?  Well...I play on a tennis team.  If you have ever played team tennis you know that it's fun AND it's competitive.  AND....it can be a bit more expensive than what one would like.  I enjoy tennis, but I've gotten to the point where it's taking up too much of my thought process.  I plan my week around lessons and matches.  If one of those days gets rained out then they have to get rescheduled.  So...something that I wanted to do (like go to the gym, go to lunch with a friend, take a walk, try out a new Farmers Market, etc.) all of a sudden gets bumped due to tennis.    You can see why I've not complained too much about this...it seems a bit petty.

Here are some things that I've neglected this past year and I'm taking a stand in 2011 to do my best to make some changes.

#1 - Our Finances - We continue to be debt-free (except for the house), which I'm very happy about.  But...we lost some momentum in saving money in 2010.  We were able to get several things accomplished (like getting our wills completed and getting the correct amount of life insurance for me and my husband), but we didn't save near as much money as what we would have liked.

So - after years of wanting to do this, I'm finally taking the Financial Peace University classes at our church.  Classes start this Sunday!  I think starting off the year with this class and having people to hold ourselves accountable to, will really help get us back on track.

#2 - My health.  I have struggled with this for the past couple of years.  My health is okay, but my weight is higher than what it should be. I need to lose 15 pounds.  We purchased an elliptical and home-gym and my goal is to exercise.  Note that I didn't say "exercise more", as I'm not really exercising at all now.  (I don't count tennis as exercise...)

I've also started going back to my Tuesday Weight Watcher meetings, and my husband and I have agreed that we need to eat more "clean foods" and drink less wine during the week.

#3 - Things that bring me peace - Often times I feel selfish doing things that clear my mind.  Whether it's taking a walk through the woods, scrapbooking, or sitting on the back deck and reading a good book.  Since I'm not being productive while doing these things, I rarely take the time to do what really makes me happy.  This year I'm changing this.  I realize that I can't do these things 100% of the time (or even most of the time) because our laundry would never be clean, the house would be a wreck and my children wouldn't ever be fed.  But still...I REALLY like to scrapbook and when I'm wanting a "break", wouldn't my time be better spent scrapbooking than playing Internet Spades on the computer?

This is enough for now.  I'll be playing less tennis in 2011, and focusing on what is truly important to me in my family.  As a result, I expect to be much more INTENTIONAL with my time.  And with that said, I'm now going to get on the elliptical for 30 minutes, as tennis was rained out today.