10 Things to Do in January 2017

10 Things To Do in January 2017:

1. Stop letting the voice in your head ramble on about all the things you need to stop doing, all the things you need to do better, and all the things other people already do better than you. That voice is a nasty B****. There are enough haters out there in the world without letting one take up shop in your gray matter. Serve her with eviction papers!
2. Call someone you think is nice and ask them out for coffee. Or to a movie. Or over for a glass of wine. It is hard to make new friends when you are a grown up. But it is important, so DO IT!
3. Identify three things you like about your body. I have good hair. Nice calves. Dimples. Take a minute every day to compliment yourself about these three things. Maybe take note of a few more fab things. I have recently noticed that my feet are rather sweet. Nice toes. Just sayin’.
4. Treat yourself to a pair of Roots Sweatpants. I know they are expensive. But when you put on a really fuzzy pair of sweatpants, with a forgiving waistband, it is like giving yourself permission to just STOP. And read a book. Or binge watch something on Netflix. And take deep breaths.
5. Get a new haircut. From a GOOD hairdresser.
6. Remove everything from your closet that (a) does not fit, (b) has faded in colour, or (c) does not make you feel good about yourself. I know you spent hard earned money on those jeans. But you got bigger. Not a crime. So take them out of your closet and stop feeling bad every time you look at them. Buy a pair that fits. And that business skirt from 2010 was a great deal – in 2010. It has worked hard. Totally worth what you paid for it. But it is time to let it go. Just let it go!!
7. Find something active that you don’t hate doing. I found a warm swimming pool last year and discovered that swimming is awesome when your nibbly bits are not turning blue. Now I swim every day on my lunch hour. If you hate yoga, stop doing yoga. If every moment on the stair climber is a misery, stop climbing. Life is short.   Too short for self-inflicted misery. Try dancing in your living room for 20 minutes a day. Or walking around your neighbourhood at dusk, when you can peek into the neighbour’s windows. Or play Wii Sport. Get creative!
8. If you have kids, find one day of the week and clear away all of the activities. No piano lessons. No sports. No homework. Say F*** It to everything and play a board game with them. Or make dinner together. Or watch a movie. If they are destined to be the next Mozart or Beckham, it will still happen. And no one ever died from not getting their social studies worksheet completed. Just sayin’.
9. Start planning a trip somewhere. Anywhere. Really think about where you would like to go. What would you like to do when you get there? When would you go? How much would it cost? Where would you stay? Do some googling. Dream a little. Maybe even start a timeline. Make a plan. Getting there can be half the fun!
10. Be an optimist. Negative thoughts come easy. Positivity takes effort but it is worth it. Every day the planet spins around the sun. Plants grow. Children laugh. When you are dead and gone, no one will remember your VISA card balance. Or what you put on line 101 (Employment Income) of your tax form. Or the embarrassing thing you said one night after a third glass of wine. So let it go. And believe that a good night’s sleep will work magic (because it does) and things will work out in the end (because they usually do).