It’s Sunday evening and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m so looking forward to starting a new week tomorrow, regardless if that means going back to work. Please don’t hate me. You know that saying, “when it rains it pours”? Well, that was my weekend; a complete bust.
But I’m one to always try and look on the bright side of things, even if that means having to strain my eyes so hard to actually find it. And one thing I did notice was that bad days comes with a whole lot of thinking, and this weekend was no exception. I caught myself over the past two days thinking about things that I want to do this year or things that I really want to try and work on. At one point I was asking myself why I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions in January, because all of the thoughts that were going through my head seemed an awful lot like resolutions.
And so I thought a little bit more. I was obviously way past the “deadline” to set resolutions. Just for the record, I’ve always been good with deadlines (pulling all-nighters in University was my kinda thing). But then I realized that it’s never too late to set goals for yourself and start working on things you want to improve. After all, there should never, ever be deadlines for that kind of stuff.
I’ve never been one to set New Year’s Resolutions. I mean, every year I always quickly skim over some ideas, but I don’t think I have ever set any, and I definitely don’t ever remember actually trying to make them happen. I’m not really sure why because I love the idea of a new year; a fresh start with endless possibilities. And after all of that thinking that happened over the weekend, I also realized that this year I have this wonderful space where I can share my goals and then be constantly reminded of them. So, why not have some this year? After all, without goals, or dreams, or aspirations to do better, isn’t it so much easier to just coast through life? And I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell don’t want to just coast through my life.
So here are some things that I would love to accomplish this year; some big, some small, some that I can do in a day, and some that I’ll continuously have to work on over the entire year.
Go camping- Don’t ask me where this one came from, but it’s something that I have to make sure I do next summer. It’s my favourite thing to do in the summertime and last year we missed out on the chance (unless you count sleeping in a huge concert field and having drunk people stumble into your tent thinking it’s theirs). Ahhhh, waking up and cooking eggs and bacon outside on a Coleman stove. Waking up feeling all sweaty and disgusting. Remind me again why I love this so much? Oh right, the eggs and bacon thing!
Take a photography course- It’s been four years, people. Four years since I was given a fancy camera with a million different buttons and I still have no sweet clue how to use that thing. This year my mission is to finally take a course so I can finally learn how to use something other than that damn auto button.
Start trying new recipes- It’s no surprise that I’ve always been horrible in the cooking department. If I were left alone I could probably live on peanut butter and jam sandwiches for the rest of my life. Well this year I’m going to actually start making some of the recipes that I’ve spent hours and hours pinning on Pinterest.
Maintain my weight- I’ve talked about my struggle with weight a few times here before and since I’ve lost the majority of that weight a few years ago, I’ve often fluctuated anywhere from 5-10 pounds. While this may seem small, I know how dangerous that slope can be for me and I really don’t want to teeter totter this year.
Do nice things for complete strangers- This doesn’t have to be anything big, but I want to start spreading some love. I’ve often had a complete stranger pay for my coffee in the morning and if that $1.70 can make someone else as happy as it made me, well then I would love to be the reason for it. It’s amazing what random acts of kindness can do for others.
Make better use of my time- This goes back to stopping with the “all or nothing” outlook when trying to get things done. Believe me when i say that I’ve gotten much better at this over the last few years but it’s still something that I want to work on.
Appreciate the smaller things- At the end of my high school prom when all of us graduates were partying on the bus, I remember starring out the window for a few minutes just reflecting on graduating and how this was such a big night and how I wanted to remember every last detail of it. I’ve never told anyone that before, but ever since that night, I’ve always completely stopped what I’m doing for a few minutes to make sure I really reflect on big events in my life like going on vacation, getting engaged, or having such a great day/night with family or friends. This year I want to continue to do that but to also carry that into the smaller things in my life.
Try as many new things as I can- I love trying new things, whether it’s going to a new city, a new restaurant, trying a new hobby, a new activity, or even a new hairstyle. I want Pinterest to continue to be my best friend this year.
Shine bright- My first reaction was to type something along the lines of having a sparkle, but that just brought back horrible memories of Tierra on Sean’s season of The Bachelor. I know you know what I’m talking about! And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure if “shine bright” describes what I’m trying to say. I want to have fun, and laugh more, and love more, and surround myself with people who can bring this out in me even more. Basically, I want to continue to “be me” and never let anyone damper that.
And last, but not least, continue to come here and write whatever it is that I want to write about. The bad, the good, and definitely the best! I hope that I can look back to this post in a year 11 months and see that I definitely tried my best with these things.
Happy February everyone!!
Do you have any goals for the month?
Or, if you’re like me, what about even for the full year?
i love paying it forward! another blogger is doing this on a regular basis and it's so inspiring.
i'm enrolled in a photography workshop in march to finally learn about my dslr. i just use the "auto" setting and it's a shame! so i got this as a christmas gift and i can't wait to learn about everything this camera has to offer.
kathy
Vodka and Soda
A lot of those are my resolutions too. Love the do nice things for strangers. So sweet!
Great things to strive towards!! I totally think goals like these can be set at any time and you should print them off so you can remind yourself of them often! 🙂 I've started to make it a goal to try one new recipe a week…either supper, lunch or breakfast just to change it up a bit!
What a great list! I don't think there is ever a time limit for things like this. I agree I need to take a photographer class, I know I'm only using like 1/50 of the things my camera can do. I love the do nice things for strangers I think that is so important!
I say there IS no cut-off! You make the changes you want to make when you want to make them! 😀
Resolutions are great to start at ANY time!
I liked the story you shared about reflecting out the window after your high school prom. It's nice to take those moments to appreciate things in your life!
I actually had a similar weekend for the most part so I know how you feel about trying so hard to look on the bright side when it feels like a thousand little things are going wrong!
I'm the same way with recipes and have done a decent job so far this year with trying out new ones! The new things is also on my list of 15 in 2014!
I think all of your goals are awesome and I know you'll be able to accomplish all of them in some way throughout the year:)
I've been wanting to take a photography course for a long time. As soon as I got my fancy camera I refused to use auto, so I've taught myself a lot, but I know there's a ton more I could learn! And camping. Yes. I love camping!
Every day is a new day to make changes. Love your list. Camping is a favorite of mine. Random Acts of Kindness always make people feel better no matter if it is big or small. Go for it!!
I want to take a photo class too! It is my springtime goal! Oh and sparkle and Tierra! Too funny!
Great resolutions! You seem to be doing great up to now already!