Here is to hoping 2016 is working out for you so far. Four days in and I’m not complaining. So far, so good! Let’s just hope the next 361 go just as smoothly…..
The New Year is a big deal to a lot of people, probably because it represents a chance to start over, a chance to let go of past mistakes and to start fresh. This is where resolutions tend to come in for many people. While some people love them, others aren’t so fond.
I’m kind of on the fence about New Years resolutions. Mostly because I don’t like the term “resolutions”. Why? Because it seems like such a “Make it or break it” statement. I prefer to use the New Year to set goals, instead. When I make goals instead of resolutions, any small steps I make toward my goal makes me feel successful. In the past, when I made resolutions, if I deemed myself as failing to meet them, it was over for me . Done. Failure. I will try again next year……and the cycle continues!
This year I have broken my goals up into a couple of different categories. Let’s start with personal and family related goals.
Personal Goals
- Be more positive as a wife and a mother. I’m just going to be honest. I can be a hard ass. I like perfection(though, I am far from perfect so why do I expect it from others?!) and because of that I come across as negative with my thoughts and words more often than I should. My goal is to work at accepting my family for who they are and not trying to change them. I will offer positive affirmations and see the GOOD before I see the BAD! This also includes yelling less often. God, help me with that one!!
- Practice Gratitude. I plan to do this by keeping a gratitude journal. I don’t expect to do it daily but I would like to contribute to that journal at least 2x’s per week. There really is always something to be grateful for!
- Volunteer at least two times, preferably three times per year with the homeless outreach program we have recently become involved in.
- Read one book per month. I would love to increase this number but I am starting off realistically here. With three kids, there isn’t always a lot of downtime so if I can get in one book per month, I’ll call it a success!
Financial Goals
- Make less impulse purchases whether it be online or at the store. Those types of purchases, big or small really add up over time. Plus, if it’s an impulse, it is most likely something I really do not need and that just adds clutter to my home or body. My type A personality deals with life so much better when “clutter” is reduced.
Health Goals
- Continue to exercise and be active, consistently. It really is that simple. There is no certain number of days a week I’m aiming for, no number on the scale that I care about, no size pants to worry about fitting into. I just want to maintain the level of consistency that I have created over the last year.
- Eat more veggie based meals. My 10 year old daughter is mostly vegetarian and I would like help support her in this. Plus, veggie based meals really are beneficial to the body and environment. The goal is to eat two veggie based dinners per week(and more than that for breakfast and lunches) but we will play give and take a bit here. The idea is really to be more mindful of eating less meat.
- Run a 5K. It would be especially nice if I could get my entire family on board for this one. I don’t have any specific time goals in mind(though under 30 minutes would be great for this turtle!!) but it’s been a few years since I’ve done one and the itch is there. Time to scratch it!
Blog Goals
- My only goal here is to actually blog. Let’s be honest, it definitely was not at the top of my priority list last year. With welcoming a new family member and adjusting to life as a family of five there just didn’t seem to be time or even the want to write. I’m pretty confident that I’ve adjusted to my new normal and hope to blog at least two times per week. Baby steps here.
That just about wraps it up for me and my 2016 Goals. It will certainly be interesting to look back at year end and see just how successful I was!
Let’s talk…..
Do you set New Years resolutions? Why or why not?
How do you feel about setting goals instead? Do you see them any differently?
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