When July comes each year, it seems that the year is almost over. In reality, when July comes, the year is half over. And the half that just passed seems like the longer of the two halves. While we still have plenty of summer left, once September comes, several major holidays are on its heels, and time truly does fly. So even though you are still summering, give yourself some deadlines to accomplish what you decided in January you would accomplish, so 2023 can be all that you want it to be.

In January of each year, most people make resolutions, which I prefer to call commitments. Some people want to get healthier by losing weight, exercising more, and drinking less alcohol. If this is you, how is it going? Did you make a plan and stick with it? Or has life gotten in the way, and you are way behind? Well, the good news is you still have time to accomplish what you want to accomplish in these areas. But not too much time, for once Thanksgiving and Christmas come, it is very hard to do more than maintain our weight, and exercise too often falls by the wayside. As for reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, that can be difficult as well. Holidays with some of our testy relatives can drive us to drink! So, it is easier to get these areas in control when our lives can be calmer during the relaxing days of the summer. Then we can focus on maintaining our weight and related areas during the rest of the year.

Another area many people set goals and make resolutions in is financial matters. Spending less, living on a budget, and saving money are three areas of focus for some people. As hard as weight control and exercising consistently can be, managing our money may be even harder. I know it is for me. So, this is one of my commitments for 2023. And I have not done as well with this as I wanted to or planned to. So, July 1 is my restart date. I have six months to get my finances under better control, and I am recommitting to myself in this area. I will give you an update in mid-December. Between now and then I am going to do what my husband Mike implied I needed to do many years ago when he asked me, “When are you going to stop reading those books and do something about this?!” I have all of the information I need about financial management; it is now time to put action behind the words, live within a budget, save more, and spend less. This half of the year is not the easiest half for this focus, with Christmas and other holidays in the mix, but it is my problem that I have waited, so I will now work the plan. If you are joining me with financial management as a focus, I wish us both well on this journey. It will not be fun, but we will be so proud at the end of the next six months if we keep this commitment.

Another area of resolutions for some people is organizing and decluttering. I have made lots of progress in these areas. Our move from a larger home to one less than half of its size has helped a lot with this commitment. But while I have made progress in this area, I still have some work to do to be where I want to be. My focus for the last half of 2023 is to reduce multiples in many areas, including kitchen utensils, dishes, and glassware. Then there is the massive amount of Christmas decorations and ornaments for the five Christmas trees we had in previous years that need to be drastically reduced. We have two large Christmas ornament collections; White House ornaments and family-personalized ornaments. These alone will decorate one Christmas tree. The bags and boxes of the others will need to be given away, sold, or donated. It tires me to even think of this since I have a very hard time letting go of stuff, even when I have no room for it. Wish me well with this one, and I will let you know how it goes.

How is it going for you in keeping your commitments to yourself for 2023? You may have done well; if so, celebrate. You can relax a little, and work on maintaining your progress. Or, you may have a way to go to be where you want to be. If so, just get started, or re-started. One step at a time, one day at a time. Approached this way, you will be amazed at how much can be accomplished.

After all, there are six months left in 2023! Think of it that way, looking at the glass half-full instead of half-empty. I wish you much success as you focus on your commitments to yourself. You deserve to get to the place you want to be in your identified growth areas. Make it Happen!