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Thursday, January 6, 2011

2011 Resolutions---New Year, New Goals

This is a post I've been looking forward to writing.  I love sharing my goals with my readers and I'd also love to learn what everyone else hopes to accomplish this year.  I like to call them goals rather than resolutions because I think the word "resolution" has all of these "bound to fail" connotations to it.

So, here we go!

Patience.  I want to learn, love and embrace patience. I am the most impatient person. Ever.  My husband constantly tells me how impatient I am---and he's right.  From having 20 internet windows open to getting fussy when we don't find a parking spot quickly, I lack patience on every humanely possible level.  I constantly want things to happen at a pace that I deem acceptable---if an internet page takes too long to load---even just seconds longer than usual---I'll open another page or flip through a few magazine pages because I don't want to "waste" time waiting.  I know that's crazy. So, this year, I'm trying to learn to be more patient. 

Fitness.  This year, I don't have to resolve to get fit---because I've already been working hard for a few months!  See how I did that?!  I was all sneaky and started to work out well before the new year so instead of starting up a fitness routine, I can now just say I want to maintain my level of fitness.  I do have some goals fitness-wise, of course---to continue to tone my body and burn off fat---so more muscle, less body fat.  I'll continue to see my trainer and I'm also wanting to try a few news classes---including workouts that incorporate a ballet barre---because, you know, ballerinas are awesome.  Speaking of ballerinas, we're seeing Black Swan tomorrow, can't wait!

Healthy Eating
.  I'd like to start preparing lunches in advance for my husband and I.  My H is so sweet and cooks dinner nearly every night. I was horrified this week when I realized he eats turkey sandwiches and nutri-grain bars every day at work.  Not okay.  We need to diversify!  I tend to bring groceries straight to work so I can have healthy snacks on hand all the time, but my lovely H needs it to be forced on him so I'm going to try to start consistently packing healthy lunches.  It's the least I can do since he's so awesome. I'm also trying to eat more veggies this year---they're healthy, low-calorie and packed with anti-oxidants. It's a no brainer. Also, I'm eating Wine Gums right now...so......

Better Buying.  I'd love to learn to shop smarter.  Don't get me wrong, I already think I shop pretty smart---I use coupons, shop during sales and overall try to save money every time I shop---but sometimes I look in my closet and find myself wondering why I bought something.  I tend to buy only things I love...but sometimes I admit I buy on impulse if something's a really great deal (thank goodness I recently started keeping receipts and tags on until I wore an item---I've been able to return a lot of stuff that went unworn.)  I don't know how I'll achieve this---but it's a goal, and I'm sticking to it!  I'll try to carefully examine each purchase and think about how it fits into my closet and my life.  I'll also try to save for things I really love instead of buying a bunch of stuff on every trip.  We'll see how it goes....

More projects.  I would love to take on some home projects this year. There isn't much we can do with our current home, but we're hoping to buy a new home sometime in 2011 and I'd love to share everything with my readers. I sometimes wish I had started this blog when we first got our home so you all could see the transformation. Home decor is such a passion of mine and I'd love to take on more DIY-type projects.

Last year, my goal was to start a blog. This year, my goal is to continue blogging regularly and connecting with my readers.  I just love and appreciate all of you so much and you all bring so much happiness and fun to this blog---and that means a lot to me.  I hope to continue to post content that we can talk about, debate and laugh about.

Second guessing
. I think it's human nature to second-guess yourself.  I'd love to be more confident in my decisions and in the workplace.  I'm happy with my performance but I think I could learn to be a little more assertive.

Friendships.  Girlfriends are so important in my life.  There's a special bond only women can share.  It saddens me to write this, but I haven't been in touch with my friends from home as much as I was in the past.  We're all busy and have our own lives and priorities (not to mention we live thousands of miles apart) but I'd like to try harder this year to get on the phone and just say hello and ask how my friends are doing.  As we grow up, it gets more and more difficult to maintain friendships as the other things in our lives monopolize our time---but friendships make us whole.  I want to continue to laugh, cry and have deep discussions with my friends, no matter how busy life gets.

More risks.  I mean fashion and beauty wise.  This is a tough one for me because you all know I love to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to how I look and dress.  Now, don't get too excited---I'm not going to chop my hair off and start dressing rocker-chic.  I'd just like to try new looks and see where they take me.  Even if I hate what I try, I should try it anyway.  You can wash makeup off and change hair styles so I think it's time to experiment---even if it's just a random Saturday night at home and I'm feeling creative.

Read More
.  Simple as that. I'd love to read more. Fiction, non-fiction. I'd like to make time to read more books (instead of just magazines).  As a kid and teen and I loved to read. You couldn't pull me away from my books many days. I just read book after book (after book).  I'd like to read at least one book every 2 months.

Marriage.  This year, I'd love to focus on showing my H how much I love him.  When we were dating, I used to do all kinds of little things like write notes in his lunch bag and make handmade cards for him.  Life got busy and I felt like I didn't have time to do those things anymore.  This year my goal is to find new ways to show my H how much I love and appreciate him. He really does a lot for me, our family and our marriage and I'd like to put forth even more effort this year to show him that his hard work doesn't go unappreciated or unnoticed.

What are your goals for 2011?  Share one---or as many as you like---in the comments below.

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS--- I had no pic with this entry, which made me sad, so here's a cute shot I took of Lulu today. Hope it makes you smile!