it's the tenth of january {what? already}
i am just getting around to posting my goals for the new year
i am blaming it on christmas break
the best christmas break we have EVER had
true story
time spent organizing,
playing games,
reading,
swimming {kids not me},
watching movies,
and just hanging out
it was wonderful
my brain took a little vacation too
i had no brain power to write out a blog post
none
i don't think i even touched my computer more than twice over break
i would check email, fb, and twitter from my phone but even that was minimal
we started back to school yesterday
we are getting into our routine again
my brain is slowly coming out of vacation mode
time to get some goals set for 2012
this year as i was searching for a word, i couldn't find just one word as the focus for this year
i decided to go with a phrase
something that i saw in a parking lot when i was in california last fall
show up for life
at the beginning of last year, i was ready to kick 2010 to the curb
really ready!
although this past year wouldn't rank quite as low, it still wasn't stellar
in mid july i told lance things needed to change with our schedule
i felt like i was never home and we were always on the go
carting kids to and from activities
maintaining the house
running errands
teaching school
i just felt overwhelmed with keeping up on everything
i had gone digital with my calendar and it just wasn't working for me
i didn't like not being able to see weeks and months laid out in front of me
it was causing me to feel a bit overwhelmed
i felt scattered and disorganized
one of the biggest changes i made was getting a planner
it really made a huge difference almost immediately
i needed that visual to know exactly what was going on each day, week, month
it was a planner/organizer dream come true!
it helped me to show up for life
my goals for 2012 {now that i am feeling more on top of things}:
- get up a 5 am each weekday. i really really like the early morning. its quiet. i can get my workout in and get some things done before the kids get up. i got out of the habit and our mornings/school days were quite rushed. this week i've gotten up and we started school earlier and our days have run so much more smoothly!
- workout 5-6 days/week. run 2-3 of those days. so far so good. i need to get back into my running routine. right now i've been running 3 days a week hoping that i can run a half marathon this spring. after that i might cut back to 2 days a week. i miss time on the spin bike and elliptical.
- write one handwritten note per week. i love getting mail. i love december when our mailbox is filled with cards and letters. in the age of emails and texting, the handwritten letter is going by the wayside a bit. i want to try and send little notes every week to brighten someones day.
- do a better job of being intentional with our neighbors. the other day i went out to get the mail. our neighbor across the street came out. we exchanged greetings and talked about the weather. she then informed me how she was so ready for the new year since their mother had died in october {their mother who lived with them} and their sister {who also lived with them} had been in the hospital in a coma. how did we not know this?? i was embarrassed that we had no clue. it made me realized i need to do a better job of paying attention to and loving on our neighbors.
- make healthier food choices. lose 15-20 lbs. to kick off the new year and healthier eating, lance and i have been on a no junk food challenge. so far so good. it definitely takes some retraining on my go to items for snacks. i hope that after a month my habits will have changed and i can enjoy a treat every week instead of every day :o)
-maintain the house and daily top six. by the end of the day, i have a tendency to just want to curl up on the couch with a book or mindless tv once the kids are in bed. i find if i take an extra 10-15 minutes to make sure the house is in order our day goes so much better. i need to do a better job of putting in that time right after dinner. my friend erin does a top six every day. she makes a list of six things that need to get done each day. my to do list is often not attainable. i might mark things off but its never done. i love that this will give me that sense of accomplishment and keep the to do list to a minimum. it will force me to prioritize what must get done each day. i can't wait to put my top six into action!
-play more. i am a homebody by nature. i want to play more with the kids, lance, and with our friends. i am fine with hanging out at home reading or watching a movie on the weekend. we have so many weekends that are busy when we have a free weekend i tend to be selfish of that time at home. i don't want to go crazy and fill up every minute of free time but i'd like to try and schedule more time with friends.
- sew more. it is something i don't make enough time for every week/month. i usually do a project when i have a deadline. i would like to get in the habit of setting aside a day each week to work on a something. i really want to improve my skills and the only way to do that is to practice.
-be more intentional with my relationships. i can get very caught up in the to do lists and not put forth the effort i should with my friends. i don't set enough time aside for them. if i have a 30 minutes, i don't think its enough time to make a phone call. but really isn't 30 minutes better than no making the phone call. i say yes! {i don't really like talking no the phone so it isn't a natural choice to pick up the phone}
-do a better job of journaling our life in idaho...ie maintaining this blog. i have a few posts from summer/fall i want to post date and get up on the blog. i am post dating them so if i ever print my blog they will be in the correct year :o) i need to do a better job of posting regularly. i often get caught up in feeling like what i might blog about isn't important or my words aren't just right BUT the purpose of this blog is as a journal, a place to document the life of our family. i want to remember all of it no matter how insignificant it might seem. here's to posting more often!
for now, these are at the top of my list.
i can see, even in the first 10 days of the month, that just by having a routine, setting up my top six, and having my planner in order i can more easily show up for life.
when i don't feel stressed or overwhelmed
when i feel like i have some down time to catch my breath
i can then show up for life.
i don't want the years to pass by in a flurry of activity and busyness
i want to be present
i want to intentional
i want to embrace this stage of life
i want to show up for my life and not be a bystander
bring it on 2012!
what are your goals for the new year?
really ready!
although this past year wouldn't rank quite as low, it still wasn't stellar
in mid july i told lance things needed to change with our schedule
i felt like i was never home and we were always on the go
carting kids to and from activities
maintaining the house
running errands
teaching school
i just felt overwhelmed with keeping up on everything
i had gone digital with my calendar and it just wasn't working for me
i didn't like not being able to see weeks and months laid out in front of me
it was causing me to feel a bit overwhelmed
i felt scattered and disorganized
one of the biggest changes i made was getting a planner
it really made a huge difference almost immediately
i needed that visual to know exactly what was going on each day, week, month
it was a planner/organizer dream come true!
it helped me to show up for life
my goals for 2012 {now that i am feeling more on top of things}:
- get up a 5 am each weekday. i really really like the early morning. its quiet. i can get my workout in and get some things done before the kids get up. i got out of the habit and our mornings/school days were quite rushed. this week i've gotten up and we started school earlier and our days have run so much more smoothly!
- workout 5-6 days/week. run 2-3 of those days. so far so good. i need to get back into my running routine. right now i've been running 3 days a week hoping that i can run a half marathon this spring. after that i might cut back to 2 days a week. i miss time on the spin bike and elliptical.
- write one handwritten note per week. i love getting mail. i love december when our mailbox is filled with cards and letters. in the age of emails and texting, the handwritten letter is going by the wayside a bit. i want to try and send little notes every week to brighten someones day.
- do a better job of being intentional with our neighbors. the other day i went out to get the mail. our neighbor across the street came out. we exchanged greetings and talked about the weather. she then informed me how she was so ready for the new year since their mother had died in october {their mother who lived with them} and their sister {who also lived with them} had been in the hospital in a coma. how did we not know this?? i was embarrassed that we had no clue. it made me realized i need to do a better job of paying attention to and loving on our neighbors.
- make healthier food choices. lose 15-20 lbs. to kick off the new year and healthier eating, lance and i have been on a no junk food challenge. so far so good. it definitely takes some retraining on my go to items for snacks. i hope that after a month my habits will have changed and i can enjoy a treat every week instead of every day :o)
-maintain the house and daily top six. by the end of the day, i have a tendency to just want to curl up on the couch with a book or mindless tv once the kids are in bed. i find if i take an extra 10-15 minutes to make sure the house is in order our day goes so much better. i need to do a better job of putting in that time right after dinner. my friend erin does a top six every day. she makes a list of six things that need to get done each day. my to do list is often not attainable. i might mark things off but its never done. i love that this will give me that sense of accomplishment and keep the to do list to a minimum. it will force me to prioritize what must get done each day. i can't wait to put my top six into action!
-play more. i am a homebody by nature. i want to play more with the kids, lance, and with our friends. i am fine with hanging out at home reading or watching a movie on the weekend. we have so many weekends that are busy when we have a free weekend i tend to be selfish of that time at home. i don't want to go crazy and fill up every minute of free time but i'd like to try and schedule more time with friends.
- sew more. it is something i don't make enough time for every week/month. i usually do a project when i have a deadline. i would like to get in the habit of setting aside a day each week to work on a something. i really want to improve my skills and the only way to do that is to practice.
-be more intentional with my relationships. i can get very caught up in the to do lists and not put forth the effort i should with my friends. i don't set enough time aside for them. if i have a 30 minutes, i don't think its enough time to make a phone call. but really isn't 30 minutes better than no making the phone call. i say yes! {i don't really like talking no the phone so it isn't a natural choice to pick up the phone}
-do a better job of journaling our life in idaho...ie maintaining this blog. i have a few posts from summer/fall i want to post date and get up on the blog. i am post dating them so if i ever print my blog they will be in the correct year :o) i need to do a better job of posting regularly. i often get caught up in feeling like what i might blog about isn't important or my words aren't just right BUT the purpose of this blog is as a journal, a place to document the life of our family. i want to remember all of it no matter how insignificant it might seem. here's to posting more often!
for now, these are at the top of my list.
i can see, even in the first 10 days of the month, that just by having a routine, setting up my top six, and having my planner in order i can more easily show up for life.
when i don't feel stressed or overwhelmed
when i feel like i have some down time to catch my breath
i can then show up for life.
i don't want the years to pass by in a flurry of activity and busyness
i want to be present
i want to intentional
i want to embrace this stage of life
i want to show up for my life and not be a bystander
bring it on 2012!
what are your goals for the new year?
4 comments:
Love that- show up for life! So good!
Seriously think you are me....just in Idaho and nix the sewing...I can't even see a button on correctly! SO agree about the planner. I was so excited to go digital when I got my iPhone and am now back to a planner which is making life seem to run a little better! BTW I loved reading the advent posts! We did a lot of the same things and the kids LOVED it! Thanks so much for the Jotham's idea! What an amazing book!
I love you! This list is so similar to mine. Thank you for the sweet note I got in the mail!!! You can do this and it will be the best year ever!!!
I love those words... "shop up for life." My world this year is thrive. I want to thrive not just survive... hopefully my health issues will keep getting better.
I wish you well on your list!! So many good goals. :)
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