I have seen a lot of resolution type blog posts recently, which isn't shocking as it is the beginning of January, but there has been a big trend: picking a word (or a mantra) to focus on for the entire year. This word is like a guiding principle for you to follow throughout the year. 

I decided to take part. Unofficially, last year my word was bravery. I never declared it or anything, but 2014 was a year of facing fears and uncomfortable situations and making it through to the other side. Most of the time for the better, sometimes with a few things to work on. But always progress.

2015. What could be my word? I started to think of what was in store for me this year.

-We are taking our first BIG family trip--airplane ride and all! (Is it appropriate to drink on a plane when you are traveling with 2 small kids?)

-My daughter will start kindergarten. Full days!

-My son will start preschool. Just a few hours a few days a week but still--I'll have time, during the week, that I will have NO child that I am directly responsible for. On a recurring basis.

-My job hunting (ie: figuring out what I want to be when I grow up) will be in full swing. My stay-at-home mom days will be coming to a close (or at least changing dramatically) in 2016 so I need to be preparing for the next stage.

My life will be changing rather dramatically for the first time in several years. The last time my life shifted so much was losing my job and then becoming pregnant a couple of months later. This was going to be just as big. 

What word could guide me through all those changes and events? What are some other areas in my life that I need to focus on? What is something that I have struggled with since being a teenager? Let me finish that thought after I go get more coffee, check Facebook and send an email...

Oh, procrastination. Yeah, I'm kind of the queen of that. 

I've written about my predisposition for procrastination before and how the idea of something being perfect causes me to do nothing. Sometimes it's not just the idea of perfection that causes inaction, but it's fear. Fear of change. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of not being accepted. 

I've dealt with a lot of those fears in 2014 (hello year of bravery) but that doesn't mean they totally go away. But I have not even remotely dealt with my procrastination habit. 

My ability to procrastinate doesn't just apply to the big things. Every thing is open to being procrastinated. My husband jokes that I will not start getting ready for a night out until the last. possible. minute. He tells me how pleasant I am when I'm in my procrastinate-mode...and why wouldn't I be? I'm joking around, checking social media (I swear all those sites were created by people who were supposed to be doing something else), in a good mood because "don't worry, I've got time." Until I don't. And then that good mood goes away and a grumpy, crazed, out-of-control woman is suddenly on the loose. Do not get in her path. It will not end well. 

So procrastination, while fun at first, is rarely a good thing. For me anyway. 

It's almost like a security blanket. I get stressed about something. Overwhelmed really. And I reach for my trusted friend. We'll call her ProCra, for short. Oh, she's fun. She's so inviting! She always has the best ideas of things to do. Things you just need to do right away. Like check how many likes your last photo got on Facebook or Instagram. Or RT (retweet) the funniest thing ever on Twitter. Or rearrange the bookcase. ProCra has so many amazing ideas. Some are actually important things that need to get done...it's just the timing that's off. For example, I might need to get a blog post published but ProCra points out that the kitchen counter is looking really cluttered (I mean, seriously--who can write with a cluttered counter?). So obviously that needs to be dealt with first. Including going through the mail...oh my gosh! How did I miss this adorable card? I need to send a quick message to Ms. Cutest that I got her card. And, ProCra wisely adds, since you're already on your phone you might as well just pop in to see if you missed anything recently. You know, in the five minutes since you checked last.

I just love ProCra.

But this is not a healthy relationship. I don't like the feeling I get after the "high" of procrastination--the feeling of "catch up." Or of failure because I didn't do something I wanted/needed/desired to do. 

What word could help me kick ProCra to the curb? And help guide me through a year of changes?

Proactive. 

Proactive means creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen and not responding to it after it has happened. Whereas procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones--to the point of putting off impending tasks to a later time, even to the last minute before the deadline. A proactive person sees a deadline and doesn't run from it. That person embraces it, works on it, and anticipates what's next. 

This is as close as I could come up with for the opposite of procrastination. I think it works and applies to my other life events, too. Especially my preparation for 2016--the year my life will be totally over different, with two kids in school, full-time. 

2015 is the year of being proactive. Of meeting challenges head-on and planning and taking action for the future. Since I'm going to be busy, I'm telling ProCra to find another friend. I've got work to do.

Do you do any resolutions for the new year? How about a word or mantra? If so, share in the comments, I'd love to read about yours!

BONUS! I'm linking up with Aimee over at Why I Left My Job today...go check out her word of the year and see what several other bloggers (including myself--can you find my picture?) picked for their words!

xo Sara

{P.S. If you want to read more about my battles with being a perfectionist procrastinator (it's a thing, I swear!), go here.}