Breathe and count to to 10.

If you feel like slapping your cranky 11-month old, take a breather.

If you feel like you are losing your mind trying to figure out what your sick infant daughter needs, take a breather.

If you are frustrated because nothing is going as per what you planned, take a breather.

If you feel like turning your whole house upside down from having to do EVERYTHING, take a breather.

If you feel like killing someone because your stress levels are off the roof,

TAKE. A. BREATHER.

Even if it was for a mere 2 minutes, TAKE A BREATHER.

You will be glad you did.

How do I know it?

Been there, done that.

Just yesterday, actually.

I am proud of myself for being brave enough to shut out Fayrah's cries and take a breather.

I forced myself to do it because I know the consequences of the actions that you did in a moment of stress and anger is not worth it at all.

So take action by taking a breather.

It will not just save your life - but those of your loved ones too.

Dragon Mission.

While we are still in the first month in the year 2012, let's chat about "New Year's Resolutions".

Do you still practise them?

Do you follow them till the very end?

My answer?

No and No.

I have long since banish the practise of making resolutions for the new year.

Why?

Because I have never followed it through.

For some reason, my unconscious mind associates "resolutions" with "a half-way done project".

So nowadays, I would rather create "Mission for the Year (insert year here)".

The concept is still the same - things that I would like to accomplish.

But somehow, I am able to achieve more with the revised title.

Weird, huh?

I like to limit my goals - just so that I won't be overwhelmed and pressurised if I can't make time to accomplish all of it.

I am human after all.

This year, I have 3 :

1) Adopt a healthy and balanced lifestyle

With regular exercise (eventhough how light it may be) and smarter food choices (of course, not forgetting those occassional indulgences), I may just have MORE energy to accomplish anything.

2) Improve my time-management skills

Juggling being a full-time working mum, wife and still being myself is no easy feat. But with proper planning, I can be better at "having my pie and eating it". Insya ALLAH. Even heroes need help.

3) Be realistic when I plan my day.

Not being able to complete all that is on my to-do list just stresses me out. So I am learning to limit my daily to-do list to just 4 goals/day. Even superherous need help.

So what are your MISSION for this year of the Dragon?