In a syndrome all too common in the blog world, real life intervened and put this blog on pause. I’m thankful that all the schedule disruptions were positive 
Before I begin catching up on the last several weeks, I wanted to jump in with the present moment: new year’s eve! It’s one of my favorite holidays, in no small part because I loooove to set goals and take the time to reflect on the directions I’m taking my life (and sometimes the directions my life is taking me!).
I learned several things about setting goals this year. The first: one thing at a time! (At least for big things.) I got a lot accomplished this year that had been hanging around on my list for far too long (some of it more than two years) because I focused on one thing at a time.
Next up: have a clear vision of the future. Not the whole future (no crystal ball in my apartment), but some sort of vision that’s at least a few hundred yards down the road. The clearer this vision, the more memorable and motivating it is!
Finally: keep track. Keeping track of workouts, food, and money was a habit I tried to form for several years (in keeping with my fitness and financial goals), but this was the year it finally stuck. I don’t have a real secret for what changed, but I think the constant motivation of the blog community played no small role!
For 2009, I had one “resolution”: to live richly. 2008 was spent trying to get my feet under me and figure out my job, my relationship, and my family. That flailing definitely laid the groundwork for my 2009 successes, but I believe I owe more to the calm created by my solo resolution. Having just “one goal” for the year made it easy when I got stuck – whether I couldn’t make up my mind about what to eat, how to spend my money, what to do next, or what attitude to have, I could just do a simple test: does this help me live richly?
It definitely helps that it was an emotional goal, too, not a rational one…I’ve spent many years failing with rational goals, so I’m finally ready to own up to the fact that satisfaction, for me, is rarely a mental thing. Once I accepted that, my quality of life increased almost instantly – which isn’t to say it’s been a hedonistic year. Though I bought myself a pair of Louboutins (oh, the things you missed over the past month or so), I also doubled my net worth, got a much better job, and made good on a lot of promises to my family and around the house. I just enjoyed it all the more because I was willing to make a life that worked for me, rather than the life I felt would logically be best.
So, for 2009, I lived richly. I made myself a list of sub-resolutions that fell under that umbrella: use my journal/planner, prioritize, live in good health, live economically, drink more wine and eat more salad and soup, travel, keep a tidy space, enjoy everything, and slow down. And I did all of those, though the journal/planner suffered some neglect in November. I also ran my first half marathon, ran several other races, took two glorious vacations with Wonderful Boyfriend, began eating a high raw diet, became a lot nicer to my co-workers, and ditched a lot of things that were weighing down my life (literally and spiritually). The hardest part was definitely slowing down while still living in the moment, but it’s been well worth it. (My need for speed comes from childhood, when I wasn’t expected to live very long so I got a jump start on lots of things…that’s a long story for another day, but hey, 28 years and I’m still here! Suckas!) (And yeah, that’s a whole folder I keep for goals in the picture. Don’t be jealous.)
For 2010, I’m keeping this resolution. I plan to live richly for the rest of my life, in fact. However, my official resolution for 2010 is even bigger than just living richly! It is:
Nope, I can’t tell you now – for me, goals are like wishes; if you let them out of the bag too soon, there’s no way they’ll come true. I won’t leave you completely hanging, though, because I have some subgoals that are far more concrete and shatterproof. In 2010 I hope to:
- Run a 5k in less than 25 minutes
- Run a half marathon in less than 2:20
- Do a pull-up
- Travel to two places I’ve never been
- Read a new book each month (I get stuck in ruts and reread my old favorites over and over)
- Upgrade the things in my wardrobe that should no longer leave the house on my body…and get rid of them
- Fit a sample size for an upcoming event (it’s not certain, but I have some theories Not jinxing this one!)
- Save 50% of what I earn
I’ll be checking in on these goals as the year goes on – I do daily and quarterly reviews on my own, so I might as well share those in the days ahead.
I’ve been so inspired by the health/fitness/green monster blogging community this year – thank you all for everything you give every day! (I know who my readers are 
) (Don’t I?) (And thanks for hanging in during my unexplained absence. Patience is a virtue.)
And now, back to this….
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
