Gentlemen start your engines

Well here goes, the start of the New Year and things are starting to fall into place. I usually start off most things with a great intentions; "This time it's going to be different", "I won't do what I did last time", "Oh, there's still a lot of time left" and on and on, which is always followed by, "How did I get so far behind" or the most successful death blow of "what's the use"? I've started putting some of my new "Year of the Horse" requirements into action before this upcoming year starts so that it will be habitual more than "Oh, I'm supposed to be doing this" and if I have a stumble, better it happens now.
     I've started with eliminating the  fast food/chips/processed meat/pop...your basic "Lets hit the drive through" on the way home stuff. I'm starting to realize it's more habit than actually being hungry. I've caught myself opening the fridge and the pantry looking for stuff I know isn't there anymore and yet, when I open the door one more time, I'm actually trying to see if there's something that magically showed up since the last time I opened it.
   Next, is not using "plastic grocery bags"; only one clerk asked me "how will I take out my garbage" and all I said was, "I'll do what your grandparents did"!
   I've had to free up some time somewhere, so I've hired a cleaning person to come in once a week; it took a little while to get used to someone doing that for me, but I'm really starting to appreciate the benefits and it's also helped me be more organized around the house as well.
   The big one that will take some time is "my job". I have to watch for the work swings of huge hours and weeks out of town then trying to play catch up. You see, the more I work, the more I make, and the work addict that lives inside me, loves it to death; it's a respectable addiction, with all sorts of justification and rationalization attached, but I've got to find a healthy balance and since I've never had that, I'm not really sure what that's supposed to be.
   This may not be much of a blog, but when I look at what I need to do for me, I can understand where the ripple effect of this is going to take me. Robert.

Almost

I have started and done so many things throughout my life that it even amazes me how much I could cram into the years I've been given.  Some things have ended as a result of healthy change, still with some dreams yet to be done, but yet, some things have ended as a result of one of what I believe is my largest character defect, "I get bored" before I finish something or my mind simply convinces me to do something else and off I go; sometimes I wonder if  "commitaphobia" could be an actual diagnosis. I had watched a movie a few years ago where a jungle tribe was captured by another tribe and the leader of the victorious group looked the head warrior straight in the eye and renamed him "Almost"! He "almost" won, he "almost" succeeded, he "almost" protected his people, that one word is resonating hard with me as I start this year.  I more than ever do not want to be an "Almost"!! I have to take a serious look at starting this year, having to see what it is that will keep me connected with a doable program and lead me through the year of the horse, will help me keep in balance my employment obligations, family and personal relationships and not outbalance one with the other. Robert.