by Eric Gardner, Guest Contributor
The New Year is almost upon us. Like many of you, I’ll be ringing it in with family and friends. This year I’m going to do it a bit different than the last.
I’m going to ignore the loud shouts from society to deliver a life-changing resolution for 2018.
I think we all know better than that.
As military spouses, certain aspects of our lives are reinvented every few years. We can take the recommendations of shaking up our daily routines from the talking heads on television in stride. If you are in the midst of a very negative situation or dealing with toxic or bad behavior then these comments are certainly not geared toward such situations.
For those of us who know December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018 will pretty much look the same then I want to recommend something different.
I want us to give ourselves a break.
Think about all the great things we accomplished last year and take a bow.
If you survived a PCS, well done! If your family was promoted, keep up the great work!
We spend far too much of our time focusing on the negativity of our lives instead of trying to replicate the successes.
I know; it sounds too good to be true, right? Yet I would bet that if we made a resolution to keep embracing our extended military families as our own we’d get a ton more satisfaction.
Instead the masses would like us to set a stereotypical goal of going to the gym every day. Sure, the first few days are great but those lofty ideals fall victim to the challenges of life; and we know those unique stressors line up to greet us every day. With such staggering statistics from sources like Business Insider; 80% of all resolutions don’t last through February.
We need to change how we look toward the future and see the value we’re bringing into the New Year already.
Here are my 3 goals for 2018.
I will continue to embrace the fact that I’m not perfect and that sometimes life is really out to get me; and that is OK.
I will continue to bask in the chaos which comes with being a stay-at-home parent. After all, my kids will eventually leave the nest so I’ll cherish the good and bad days equally. Because I know that sooner, rather than later, I’ll miss them terribly.
Lastly, I will keep focused on the fact that as a military family our success will be made as a team. My wife and I can conquer anything but only if we keep working together.
My goals above are not anything out of the ordinary from the very ideals we all hold near and dear to our hearts. All of us are trying to do the right thing for everyone around us.
Give yourself some much-needed credit and walk into the New Year head held high, shoulders back and ready to do the same great things you succeeded at last year.
But before you do that take a bow for a job well done in 2017!
Eric Gardner was raised in a military family and lived around the world. Following in his father’s footsteps, he joined the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer. Since the end of his wartime service he has shifted gears and is now a stay-at-home father. In his role as an active duty Army spouse, he has become an author. As the creator of the XIII Legion Series he has enjoyed great success, and enjoys meeting other entrepreneurial spouses as well as fellow authors . You can see more from Eric Gardner at his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thirteenthlegion.series, and http://www.facebook.com/XIIILGN or follow him via Twitter @13thLegion.
