Month of May

The start of a new month is always fresh and exciting... a nice new start. Doesn't hurt with the weather the Boston area had this weekend. Today hit 90 and I'm working on the tan! :) Already getting started for summer.

The theme of surrender or letting go keep coming up for me. When I start to notice the same thing again and again, I realize the universe is trying to get me to pay attention. After receiving my weekly email from life coach, Cheryl Richardson and the same topic came up yet again... I finally got the message.
Combining the new month and the idea of surrender, (and copying an idea of monthly goals) I have a few of my own goals for May. Originally my list was only 3, all on Cheryl's email...

And let me go back to that for a minute. Of her whole weekly email, one question stuck out. "What do I need to let go of in order to welcome in the new life I desire?" She said to write down whatever comes up. Some of my answers were a little strange, but they all got me thinking. That's how I came up with my monthly May goals.

The areas I want to focus on for May (and I'm trying to phrase them all in a positive tone) are:

1) If I can't say something nice about someone, I won't say it at all.
Now that's going to be a really big one for me. I LOVE to vent and gossip about people who piss me off and people I don't like. I LOVE it and do it all day long. If I want more "real" relationships and less superficial relationships in my life, then I need to give up the gossiping and talking badly about others. It'll be tough, but I have to do try.

2) I give up frustration with unfulfilled expectations and release all unrealistic expectations, my expectations or any expectations set on me by others.
This one is more for work, considering how much time I spend there, and toss in the extra time I log in from home (Cheryl's email was delivered to my work email account... I read it when I finished clearing out my new emails delivered over the weekend!). We have huge projects going on and many eyes are on us. I was trying to give realistic expectations of June 1st to finish things up and get on the right track. My boss wanted May 15th. I laughed. :) I can only do what I can do. Hmmm... that might be a better one for #2. Same idea!

3) I can only control my responses to others, so I let go of any attempt at control of other's thoughts, perceptions, expectations or reactions.
This is a big one. Kind of deep for me on a Sunday night, but I like it. I need to really focus on this one. It goes along with #2, that I can only do what I can do. I can't control what others think or feel or how they put their crap on me. That's about them, not me. I need to remember that.
(I'm going to have to keep re-reading this all month! I have a feeling that by 9am tomorrow after I have another 15 emails in my inbox, I'll be flipping about what other people what me to do and complaining about them... breaking all 3 right off the bat! But that's ok... I just need to get refocused and do my best!)

4) I am going to be proud at all of the small accomplishments I achieve during the month.
This will include work, eating right, the 5K training (started again last week, tomorrow night starts week 2),and any other exercise I do. I need to focus on the accomplishments I achieve, not on the few expectations I don't meet.

This month is going to be hard. With all of this letting go and surrender getting slapped in my face, it is about time I took notice. Hopefully the goals I have set for myself are obtainable.
I think May is going to be a good month and off to the right start.