by Lori Deschene
I’ve spent the last two weeks mostly disconnected from the Internet, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.
I made many wonderful changes in my life in 2009, but I also made things a lot more complicated than they needed to be. I filled free time with tweeting, Facebooking, surfing, IMing and textting because I wanted to feel heard and connected. I’ve since learned I can accomplish those goals better if I don’t overwhelm my free time with technology. If I do less with quality instead of doing more with a false sense of urgency.
I don’t need to read countless blog posts on an idea to get outside and apply it to my life. I don’t need to immerse myself in Twitter to understand how other people feel. I don’t need to constantly discuss getting things done with other people, as if I can only succeed if I’m single-mindedly focused.
I only need to ask myself a series of questions every morning and then act:
- What can I do today that will make me feel meaningful, fulfilled, and connected to the people around me?
- What actions will make me feel happy and peaceful in this moment, while simultaneously moving me closer to my goals?
- If I’m resistant to doing what I know I need to do, why?
- Do my goals reflect my values and true desires, or should I reevaluate?
This list of questions is my resolution. I can’t imagine better gifts to give myself than confidence in my ability to get where I’m going and permission to enjoy right now.
Wishing you the same start to 2010!
Photo by Crafty Goat
Tags: 2010, New Year, resolutions, technology, time
Love these asks…I’ve come to similar resolutions as well…being true to our hearts and giving ourselves permission to hear them firstly and listen to what’s beckoning…we can hear that when the murmuring quiets down. so happy to find your blog
will hope to see you reflect on how you’re finding yourself following thru. 
happy new you year 
Thanks Lori, I truly needed some realistic 2010 resolutions, your list keeps it simple, straightforward and to the point. Happy New Years!
Happy 2010! Love this post!
Great questions, Lori! So often we don’t want to face certain truths about ourselves. Is it because we’re afraid to find out that we have flaws? That we’re not yet the best version of ourselves? That there is still plenty of room to grow?
For whatever reason, we spend much of our time escaping — ourselves, our reality, our circumstances. I don’t much like asking the question “Why” because they’re often unanswerable. But when it comes to our individual selves, we have answers. Some may be fixed while others are, hopefully, ever-evolving.
Happy new year to you!
Tre~ Thanks for the note! I’ll definitely be sharing more about following through with this resolution, and I’ll look forward to learning about your progress, as well =)
Betty~ I hear ya. New Years inspires people to write lengthy lists of goals, which, statistically, most people abandon by the 6-month mark. I think it’s so much smarter to set a few ideas for improvement and then work on them every day. At least I hope–we shall see!
Dani~ Happy 2010 to you, as well! I hope all is well in the land of positively present. =)
Belinda~ I can totally relate to what you wrote about escaping. I think it’s an instinct we have to constantly monitor. Sometimes even as I’m writing about facing problems head on I realize I’m writing to avoid doing–ironic, huh?
I think you’re right about us having the answers. Some days it’s easier than others to be self aware; but as long as we keep asking and pushing ourselves, I think we’ll do OK.
Happy New Year to you, as well!
Great post & very, very true. Thanks for the insight. Happy 2010.
Hi Lori, what a great post, a list of questions as resolutions! This might be the most unique approach to New Year’s Resolutions I’ve read this year.
I think your questions are truly meaningful ones, and they remind me of an old saying, that often the questions we ask are more important than the answers. The answers might change, but if the questions are the type that drive us, we’re often on the right path. Thanks for opening up a new way to look at resolutions, and a new year.
Cheers,
Miche
I am slow. I was gonna say something about you posting info on twitter when you make a new blog post but it makes sense now with the resolution you made why it’s been less on Twitter lol. I added your blog to my FireFox app that opens all the sites that I read after work with 1 click to help me check on any updates since I like reading your posts. I only resolution this year is don’t go broke lol. It’s already a few days past but I will say it anyways. Happy New year!
AMTB~ You’re most welcome!
Miche~ I think you’re so right! As long as we’re self aware and willing to reassess what we’re doing and how it’s serving us, we’ll stay connected to what matters in life. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!
Mike~ Hi there! Long time no see =) I’ve been on Twitter a lot less lately because I find I can so easily get sucked into to lengths of time tweeting back and forth. Don’t get me wrong–I enjoy it. But I’m working for a better balance between technology and being present without it. Happy New Year to you as well! How is everything with you? Is 2010 off to a good start?