OK, it’s “true confessions” time... At the beginning of the year, I identified that the most important thing for me to accomplish in 2012 was to get more sleep, and I used PEI’s 5-step process to outline my intention:

1. State Your Vision
2. Identify Your Obstacle
3. Commit Your Resources
4. Design Your Plan
5. Maintain Your Success

In Step 4, I wrote that I would record the number of hours of sleep I got each night in my Planner Pad. Then, at the end of the quarter I would access my progress, but I've decided in my own best interest, I was going to check my progress at the end of the first 30 days. I did, and the results were disappointing to say the least.

At the end of the first month, I managed to record the number of hours 13 times -- less than 50%, and on the recorded days, only two of them met my goal of eight hours! My first reaction was self-condemnation bordering on disgust. Then this morning one of my scriptures for the day was Romans 8:1: “Now therefore there is no condemnation in those who love Jesus Christ and are called according to His word.” Thank you, Lord.

So, here’s the question I really need to answer: “What do I do now?” There are several possibilities: 1) I could abandon the whole idea and go back to my usual practice for several decades of sleeping 5-6 hours/night. 2) I could recommit to creating a habit of 8 hours/night five nights a week, and try again, or 3) I could adjust my expectations of myself. I’ve decided on the third option. I’m going to aim for 7 hours of sleep five nights a week. I’ll check again in 30 days and let you know how I’m doing!

So how are you doing with the “one thing” you wanted to accomplish in 2012?