New Years Resolutions

It's that time of year again and I totally pulled the stereotypical move of making a list of things that I would like to improve. I am a strong believer in trying to better yourself 365 days a year. There are many opportunities where we are tested and feel the urge to change something. It could be losing a few extra pounds, traveling more, or just simply learning the virtue of patience. I have a pretty elaborate list of resolutions, or we will call them goals, that I would like to achieve this year. I believe that I can make all these things happen, but have the horrible habit of saying I'm going to start doing this, that, and blah blah blah and a couple weeks after New Years it all fades from my mind somehow. 

1. Make Time For Travel
It has always been a dream of mine to travel the world. I daydream about all the places I want to go and am always thumbing through travel magazines and looking at deals on Groupon. Then come the excuses. "I don't have time to do that. I have to work." There are so many beautiful places to see in this world and I'm ready to embark on an adventure to see them. I would love to leave the country this year. Europe is on top of my list, but if I don't make it that far I don't mind exploring some places in the United States. I'm thinking Chicago or Boston next. :)

2. Save Money for a Rainy Day
If there is one thing I have struggled with in my adult life it's trying to balance paying a ridiculous amount of bills while trying to build a savings. I feel like anytime I have extra money it has to go to my car or some other odd expense that I was not expecting. Unfortunately these things happen to everyone and we are not always prepared for them. I was not ready for a $300 doctor bill when I had pneumonia a few weeks ago. I'm glad I have a very caring and loving man that had the extra money to help me out. Saving money is just good in general because you can also save it for fun stuff(like traveling!) and I plan to budget better and be prepared for whatever comes along. 

3. Maintain (mostly) Healthy Eating and Fitness Habits
One of my most stereotypical goals for the year, but hey, that's ok. I had a hard year last year and I am still trying to fix what was broken(my pants since I ripped one of my favorite pairs from gaining weight). I am not a health/fitness nut by any means but I have decided this year I am going to try to maintain some kind of routine to keep me going. Actually doing something and sticking to my guns is something that will help me in all fields of my life. I have my 28th birthday coming up and I will be in New Orleans and I want to look great. My ten year high school reunion is coming up as well. I know myself and I know that I will not stick to a strict diet and workout regime every day. Honestly, where is the fun in that. I did just say above that I am going to New Orleans for my birthday and you don't go there to eat salad. 

4. Dont Beat Yourself Up or Sweat the Small Stuff
This has been one of the hardest things for me to do and I am finally coming to terms with my bad habit and ready to face it head on. I tend to get a little emotional. I always have been an emotional, passionate person. I'm the girl who cries during commercials and heart-felt movies. What's wrong with this, you ask? It goes both ways. It might be "cute" to cry happy tears, but there also times when I feel personally attacked or offended I tend to lose my cool and feel like there is something wrong with me. I let things upset me way too much when I really should not care what people think of me. People are people and not everyone is going to like me no matter how awesome I think I am. I am an introvert, not a lot of people are and do not understand or care to try to understand. It's only going to make it worse if I make it worse in my own head. We are our own worst critics, and I have to remind myself that it's not as bad as my mind makes things out to be sometimes. 

5. Keep a Journal
Surprise! This is one of my goals for the year. I may not be the best writer, use perfect grammar and punctuation all the time, or have the greatest blog ever but I love to write and I love to go back and read what I wrote years later. I started this blog as a travel blog when I was 24. I opened this blog back up again as a little bit of everything. A little bit of travel, a little bit of journaling, and mostly logging important memories and thoughts. I keep a more personal journal at home, but maybe someday I can inspire someone through my words. 

6. Knowledge is Power. Read and Learn Something New
I love to read. It's one of my favorite hobbies. It helps me relax and learn so many new things that the TV might not teach. I have a whole wishlist of books on Amazon that I am going to buy in the next couple months and I hope to purchase a Kindle as well. My goal is to at least read 20 books this year if I don't read more than that. 


7. Take Some Classes
I have been out of the college scene for awhile now and am blessed to be working in the professional field without a degree. Sure I have my estheticians license and I'm doing a whole lot with that right now(sarcasm). A lot of people think it's crazy that I never finished college. It's not because I'm a quitter or because I'm lazy. College is not for everyone right out of high school; I know I definitely was not ready for it. Since then I have managed to take college courses over the Internet and continue to work my full time job. There are even free classes on Itunes and Coursera that you can take and learn a thing or two. I might not get a degree out of it, but I'm continuing to broaden my mind and learn new things. 
I have also been taking French lessons. I want to be bilingual so I better start practicing now(Notice how learning French is not on this list, I don't want to go too crazy, too fast) 
Let this be a year of learning for me. 

8. Go Play Outside
Having a puppy definitely helps with this because we are forced to go outside to let her relieve herself. There are so many trails to hike, beaches to explore, mountains to climb, lakes to fish, and so on. There is so much opportunity outdoors and a lot of these things don't cost a dime. 

9. Create
Thank you for existing, Pinterest. I get so many great ideas from you on how to cook chef-worthy meals, organize my cluttered closet, and make homemade gifts for people that come from the heart. 
There are so many things we can do to create. If anyone is reading this that knows me really well, knows that I SUCK at art. I cant draw, paint, or work with clay to save my life. When I took a high school pottery class, all my pots came out crooked, lopsided, or just magically cracked. It was artwork only a mother could love(You can ask her, she put it on a special shelf like I was in elementary school. Thanks mom for understanding) Those forms of creativity are just touching the surface of what you can create. I feel like I am pretty good at photography and I have an eye for things. I plan on getting a real camera and not being an Iphone photographer for the rest of my life, but until then I will work with the materials I have. 
There are also some Pinterest projects/recipes that I have my eye on. Stay tuned for a blog entry about them. 

10. Less Stress, More Zen
Stressful situations suck and they happen whether we are ready for them or not. It's how we handle these situations that matters in the end. 
I have always been a fan of Yoga and peaceful meditating. I plan to do much more of these things because they are so great for the body and the mind. Massages are also awesome for the stressful times. 

Instead of turning to the bottle of wine and thinking I need to drink when I'm stressed, I can just as easily turn to something that is good for my body instead of something that will temporarily mend the situation. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a girl needs to get buzzed on wine, just not so often. 

11. Me Time

I love being around the people I love and they make me happy, but I tend to forget about myself and my desires when I am trying to constantly please others. That's why this year I am going to try and devote more time for myself and not be afraid to do stuff alone sometimes. It might be going on a drive to organize my thoughts, going and getting a cup of coffee, or whatever comes to mind at the time. 

12. Be "Weird" and Do it With Confidence

Here is a fact about me: I'm weird and I'm a dork. There are so many mainstream things that I absolutely despise and there are things like Mystery Science Theater 3000 that I love. Sometimes I refuse to watch videos that are posted by so many people on Facebook or I refuse to like a song because I think it's just noise(which is how I feel about a lot of stuff on the radio.) American Idol? Don't like it. Glee? No thanks.  Duck Dynasty? Hell no. These are just examples. My point is: be yourself, like what you like, and don't feel the need to justify it to anyone. Have confidence in your weird "guilty pleasures." 

I like what I like, do what I do, and say what I say because it's part of who I am and it's time to embrace it. 

13. Come Up With a Bucket List and Start Crossing Things Off

I believe everyone should have a bucket list. I know I have a whole list of dreams I want to make come true, places I want to visit, and experiences I want to embrace. The more I find out who I am the more my list changes. It's such a wonderful feeling when you can mark something that you have always wanted off that list and have a story to tell. 

So there it is. A goal for every month of the year plus one. I feel like it's a reasonable list of goals that are easily reachable. I'm already off to a good start with number 5 because I have written three posts in a week. :)