Goals

No New Year resolutions here. They never work out and they're always the same. Lose weight, eat better, keep the dining room table clear, etc... 

Goals I do like. They can be on-going and ever changing, short term and long term. They also don't need to have a completion date of 12-31-2015. 

I have several goals that have been started, and I will continue to improve and work on them during this year...and beyond. 

Consistency

Many areas of my life need consistency (I crave routine) but the goal area I am working on is to improve my running/exercise/workout habits. There are too many days between workouts for me to see much benefit. Even though I am getting older (ack!!) there is still the ability for me to improve upon my times and pace. 

I ordered an autographed Believe journal by Lauren Fleshman (non autographed copies available on Amazon) the day after Thanksgiving. I started it soon after receiving it in the mail. There is something about physically writing down workouts that makes you want to fill in most of the blanks. 

New skills

The area being worked on for my goal is knitting. I took a class back in 2008, but didn't progress beyond the first washcloth. Last year I started helping with a knit/crochet club at school. I watched YouTube videos on beginning knitting and was able to make a simple (just knit stitch) scarf and wash cloths. Skills need to improve and make progress. 

I stopped at Michael's  and picked up some supplies to begin a hat. First one may or may not be for me, but one will go to the Warmth for Warriors project.

Personal Projects

These are things to make me happy. They don't necessarily benefit anyone other than myself. Yes, the two items above are for me, but knitting for charity will help others, and me getting a good workout in really helps my mood and attitude. A happier me benefits those around me (family). 

Writing, gardening, maybe a half marathon...goals. 

What are yours?

Ramblings

Add caption

Just a ramble or two as we get closer to the changing of the year.  It seems as if many people make those grand New Year Resolutions (or at least the media leads us to believe they do).  The most touted resolution: lose weight.  Watch the ads at the end of December and beginning of January.  Exercise equipment for sale…gym membership trials 50% off…"diet" foods available.

You do not need January 1^st to take the first step toward a dream or to begin making positive changes in your life. You can begin today! Yes, start right now. You are more likely to stick with your goal if you begin on your own terms.

What is your dream?

When I was younger, I had several diaries.  These were the dated books that started on January 1. There was so much pressure to put something down on paper every day that often I would write, “Nothing to say but need to write.”  Then in Fourth or Fifth grade I read Harriet the Spy.  Here was a character I admired, and just loved the idea of having a “spy book” like she kept in the story.  I found an old three-ring binder, added paper, and started writing away about things that took place at school and home.  Little did I realize at the time that this could be considered journaling or writing. I just thought I was “spying”. Through the rest of elementary, middle, and beginning of high school I wrote. And somewhere in the house I still have those papers.

Writing is one of those activities that I have done off and on over the years.  Paper listens without comment or judgment to the words that need spoken. It is during the re-reads that it answers back. No guilt for not doing it every day.

Getting back to the New Year’s resolution part of things,   don’t. Start today, start next week, start mid-March.

March was a good time for me to start walking. Then later the running began. And now, people are trying to talk me into doing more than the fall half-marathon I have planned. 

It all started with the first step.

What is yours?