2014 WILL be a good year. It will. It will. It WILL.

I make two types of New Year’s resolutions every year. One for me and one for God. I know, try hard right? The one for God I started last year after a preach by a leader in our church who I really respect, Marc. He talked about making your Faith Markers for the New Year. Basically, you decide on the few big things you are hoping to achieve or bad habits to banish or any goal really for 2014, and you pray for them. You give them to God in faith, and mark them off when they come to fruit. I had 3 faith markers last year, and in 2 of them He came through for me. Not a bad run rate, especially in a year like 2013. The other set of resolutions are ones I hold myself accountable for. This year I've gone full on accountant and split them into two categories. You know, all the better to balance the accounts. So here goes for 2014, these ones are on me (no pressure):

DO LESS chip eating, boozing, pressure, pushing myself too hard, watching TV, obsessing about my weight.

DO MORE blogging, writing, taking photos, playing with my pets, playing with my hubby (say what?!), praying, stillness, quiet, accepting myself for who I am.

The last one is a biggie. There is a part in Eat, Pray, Love where Liz Gilbert is at the ashram in India (the pray part) and she decides that, right, from now on she will be exactly the opposite of who she is. She takes a vow of silence and decides from then on to be quiet and still and MYSTERIOUS. I am exactly the same. I give too much away, I talk too much, criticise too much, think too much. I’m just TOO MUCH in general. I am constantly praying to be a quieter person, a stiller person, someone who listens more than she talks. And it just doesn't happen. I've started to think that maybe I’m Liz Gilbert, I’m the one others need to fill the silence, fill the gaps and keep the bubbly going. Perhaps God, in His perfection, created me this way. In the book, as soon as she takes her vow of silence the leaders of the ashram ask her to be the Welcome Party for the new arrivals to the ashram. Quite difficult to do…silently. This was God’s way of saying she is exactly who she should be. Loud and proud.

So this year I’m going to be less hard on myself. I’m going to accept the God-created, loud, often TOO MUCH that I am and stop criticising myself after every conversation. Because the world needs a few Liz's to liven things up don't you think?