Begin the New Year with a New Skill

It takes about ten minutes a day to develop a new skill. Just add it up. 10 minutes a day times, let's say 300 days a year, that's enough to be pretty good at something.

Learning a new skill is fun for you and sets a great example for your kids. Take a pottery class at your local community college, learn to rollerblade, try your hand at knitting, pick up a guitar, dance a jig – it doesn’t matter what it is, just give it a shot.

If you don’t like it, fine. You don’t have to do it again. If you find you do like it, though, you can keep at it and perhaps develop it into a hobby or favorite pastime.

You do a great job of helping your kids develop and learn new things - but what about you? When was the last time you learned a new skill? It’s easy to overlook our own need for challenge, learning, and yes, fun.

Hey Mom! Spring Is Time To Learn A New Skill

You do a great job of helping your kids develop and learn new things - but what about you? When was the last time you learned a new skill? It’s easy to overlook your own need for challenge, learning, and yes, fun.

It takes about ten minutes a day to develop a new skill. Just add it up. Ten minutes a day, times let's say 300 days a year, that's enough to be pretty good at something.

Learning a new skill is fun for you and sets a great example for your kids. Take a pottery class at your local community college, learn to rollerblade, try your hand at knitting, piano, guitar or jazz music – it doesn’t matter what it is, just give it a shot. If you don’t like it, fine. You don’t have to do it again, congratulate yourself for daring to try. If you find you do like it, though, you can keep at it and perhaps develop it into a hobby or favorite pastime.

Take the plunge! Learn something new.

Time To Keep A Journal

There's no better time than the beginning of the year to create a journal.

Journaling is an excellent way to carve out some “me” time when you can think, ponder, and express yourself. It doesn’t have to be a long time – just five or ten minutes is enough. And you don’t need a fancy leather-bound journal; a simple spiral notebook works just fine.

Start each entry with the date and time, and then write about whatever is most on your mind. You might want to describe your feelings, your frustrations, your joys or your sorrows. Over time, you can look back at your entries as points of reference for yourself.

For example, you may see a pattern of feelings that occur in certain situations, or you may use it as a record of your fitness activities.

Write notes to your children, collect little stickies, magazine articles, school-work or songs and keep them in your journal. Your journal is one of your best sources of self-expression.

If you are having difficulty knowing where to begin start with these ideas:

Everyday thoughts
What I did to maintain my health
Negative habits I avoided
Things I did well today
What I want to do more of
Skills I wish to develop
What I want to invest my energy in
What I want to invest my money in
What I want to invest my time in
How I can show my children I love them more
How I can show my husband I love him more

Regardless of how you approach your journaling, writing is an excellent outlet for you. Start today and make time for a journal – you’ll be glad you did.