a resolution... to make one...

True confession.

I'm waking up this morning on Jan. 1 with no New Year's Resolution. This is actually often the case with me.

Usually, around this time of year, I inform my husband that I will be quitting everything, and I am going to do absolutely nothing for the next year outside of my mommy duties. He smiles. He says OK. He knows.

Now, please don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with focusing on one's mommy duties. But everyone in this family knows that I am happiest when I have a personal goal for myself. An action plan. A strategy. A coloring chart. And a theme song.

And, quite frankly, those thing usually don't come to me after the frenzy of Christmas shopping, decorating, baking, traveling around the midwest to visit family, unpacking the bags, doing a ton of laundry, playing games with my kids, trying to enjoy the time my husband is off from work, and finally hanging out on New Year's Eve.

There must be a reason that government leaders wait until mid-January to give their State of the Union or State of the State or State of the Village addresses. It takes some time to think.

It really takes me some time to sit down, ponder what I want to do with myself for the next year, decide what is realistic, figure out what it would require and make a plan. I will do that during the next few weeks. And then, I will feel much better about the new year.

One thing that I know for sure is that I have to set goals for myself that are fun in the process. It might be painful at times to do what is required. But something about the challenge has to be so rewarding, so interesting, so enjoyable, that it motivates me to continue.

And I find that music helps. It lifts my spirits. It motivates me. It makes me smile. I wish I could have been a rock star, but that wasn't God's plan for me. But I often have a theme song.

I'm feeling a bit melancholy this morning remembering my theme song from the past two years.

People always think I'm kidding about my theme song. But let me tell you, everytime I listen to it, I start to dance, I get out a spoon or a hairbrush for my mic, my kids join in, we all dance, and I just want to go out and do something.

Warning. This song is not meant to be deep, spiritual or meaningful. It's superficial. But it's fun.



I've been known to lip sync it in public a few times. This is me a year ago with the Discovery Toys girls on my team singing it, complete with Hannah Montana wigs, at a retreat for upper managers. We looked like idiots.



We made these shirts that said, "Rock Star" on them. Did I mention we looked like idiots? I'll never forget that day. Out performance wasn't that great. But our practice sessions and planning were hilarious.

This was our lip syncing debut in someone's hotel room where we were supposed to be giving a motivational talk at national convention. It was motivational, all right.

These pictures make me laugh. I'm hoping to have that kind of fun this year.

I hope you do, too. Oh... and if you need a little help, crank up some Mariah Carey. "Make it Happen". Let me know if it works for you.

What about you? Any goals for 2009? Do you make goals? Resolutions? Any goal-setting secrets you would like to share?