Wednesday, January 4, 2017

New Year's Goals

I have always slightly despised the word “resolution” – it has always been associated with making a list of things that one will inevitable toss aside in a few days, weeks, or months, till they attempt another try at their New Year’s Resolutions the following year. A few years ago I heard the phrase “New Year’s Goals” and I instantly preferred it to New Year’s Resolutions. Goals just sound so much more positive and achievable than resolution – a word that has a somewhat negative association that leads to a broken promise you made to your self. A goal is something you can check off a list and feel a sense of accomplishment.

I’m a firm believer that you should always be working to better yourself, try new things, and make improvements. A New Year is the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and make a few improvements, step outside your comfort zone, etc. There is no time like the present.

I’m still working on my New Year’s Goals, but thought I would share a few with you.

Do More Things That Benefit Me// I realize that this probably sounds like the most selfish New Year’s Goal/Resolution in the history of New Year’s Goal. However, I am an extremely nice person, and I really have to work at tell people ‘no’ or possible accepting the fact of letting someone down a little just because I am simply unable to do something at a certain time. So all-inclusive in this goal is to work on telling people “no” and learning to deal with the feeling of slightly letting someone down every now and then. Also to be on top of opportunities and be more open to opportunities that may come my way.

Fitness// How cliché, right? What would a post about New Year’s Goals Resolutions be if fitness were not mentioned at least once? About the middle of September I fell out of the habit of working out in a major way and only just started working out again a few weeks before Christmas. My goal is to workout 3 – 4 times a week whether it be yoga, the elliptical, or a walk/run. Working out on a regular basis makes such the difference; I sleep better, think more clearly, am more productive, and feel more centered about things.

Travel// I haven’t traveled to very many places and would love to see and explore somewhere new.

Bad Habit// When I am deep in thought I will pick the nail polish off my finger nails completely. This is a somewhat new habit I start a couple years ago and I fully intend to break it this year. Plus I absolutely dislike it when my fingernails look bad; it just makes jewelry look so less attractive.

Blog// I am going to aim to write a blog post 6 days a week and ideally hope I end up with 7 a week plus a few. I have also been meaning to do re-do the web design of the blog for a couple years to make it look more fresh, clean, organized, and up to date.

Reading// Last year I did not read as much as I would have like to. I am such a book nerd and love to read basically pretty much anything and everything. For 2017 my goal is to read two books a month.

Learn a Foreign Language// In middle and high school I did not take learning a foreign language very seriously. My teenage thought to myself at the time was “I live in America, everyone speaks English, when am I ever going to use a foreign language”. Now that I am older and hopefully a bit wiser being able to speak a foreign language seems like a really cool thing to me. How cool would it be to go to Rome or France or Germany and instantly be able to pop into their culture and not have to resort to a translator every few seconds.

Go to Bed Before Midnight// I am absolutely the worst at staying up too late and not getting enough sleep. At night I get caught up in doing small things that on their own don’t take up much time, but accumulate a few and they take up a ton of time.

Write A Book// I’m not looking to write the next great American novel or anything like. I love to read and write and just think that it would be really neat to actually publish a book. I actually started writing one last year, but didn’t feel like it was the type of book I wanted to be writing. So since I have made this a goal and published it on the blog this is one goal I am definitely going to make a point to stick to.

Cooking and Baking// It is no secret at all that I am what some might consider a foodie and I would love to be able to learn how to cook and bake more things.

Appreciate the Little Things More// Sometimes I get so caught up on the big picture that I lose sight of the little things in life, which eventually add up to be the big things.  
What are your New Year’s Goals/Resolutions?

3 comments:

  1. I love the idea of making new year's goals. I have a few personal goals myself...and travel more is one of them. Happy New Year, Lauren!

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    1. Good luck with your travel goal and a very Happy New Year to you too!!

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  2. These are some great goals. I'm working on mine right now!
    Kari
    http://sweetteasweetie.com/antioxidant-smoothie-post-raisin-bran/

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