Monday, January 4, 2010

Happy 2010!

Well, it's the start to a new year and a new decade! I'm always eager to start a new year and make new resolutions that usually get broken quickly, or never followed in the first place. This is also the first real decade of my "adult" life, meaning, I'm not a teenager anymore, or for any part of this decade.

The last 10 years of my life have brought about so many momentous occasions and major life changes. I have graduated from both high school and college. I have found the career path that finally feels right to me, that I am passionate about pursuing. I have lived through my Mom's illness and death. I've also survived many other relationships, life changes, and the ups and downs that go with them. I bought my first home, all by myself! Although the last decade has certainly not turned out the way that I thought that it would be, I have learned a lot and grown as a person. I'm grateful for the things that I've learned, and I'm trying to accept life for what it is and what it isn't, and adjust my expectations accordingly. I'm excited and hopeful for all of the things that I hope the next 10 years will bring!

This year, I have a lot of very vague ideas about what I would like to do, but I'm having a difficult time developing the specifics. I would really like to make some goals that are achievable and result in long-lasting changes. I think I need to start with my home, it's so messy and cluttered that it's literally difficult to think (and walk) in!

Of course, being more organized is high on the list.

Also, again, weight loss. Since today is the first monday of the new year I have weighed myself and taken new measurements. Let me just say that the results are NOT GOOD. Not good at all. So, I have a few ideas about how to tackle this: first, Weight Watchers, second, exercise (regularly). For some extra motivation I'm participating in an office Biggest Loser type contest that I've helped to organize, I'm also considering signing up for @Losermoms contest that I saw through Twitter (see http://losermoms.blogspot.com/2010/01/sign-ups-for-biggest-loser-moms-2nd.html). Extra accountability can't hurt, right?! The added kicker is that this year will be my 10 year high school reunion, which is a scary thought. I fully expect that all of us will look different than we did at graduation, but I would like to go at a weight and fitness level that enable me to feel confident about my appearance. I'm still trying to work out all of the specifics about my exercise plan, but I'm excited that the boyfriend is on board with me!

I'm continuing with school this year and I'm hoping to complete all of the classes that I need to apply for graduate school in the fall. I will also need to devote some time to the GRE, which I'm a little nervous about. The other academic thing on my plate is a nursing aide class that I'm taking for the last 3 weeks of January. This will be good for my nursing applications, but will also hopefully help me professionally.

I'm setting a goal of paying off my car early this year, hopefully in January, but by March at the latest. I'm VERY excited about the prospect of not having a car payment!

Another carry-over resolution is to focus on my finances, of which, the car is a big part. I would like to learn how to make and stay on a budget and pay off as much debt as possible. I am very proud to say that I paid all cash for Christmas in 2009, no credit cards!

I'm going to read as many books as I can in 2010, and keep a record of them. I have decided that I am not reaching for the full 100+ books on the book blog because of my school reading obligations, which always decreases my time for pleasure reading. My inspiration for this is J Kaye's book blog: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-2010-reading-challenge-100-reading.html Check it out! I will try to keep a list of my 2010 books under the 2010 Reading Challenge label, I'll see if I can figure out how to make that easier to follow.

In general, I'm hoping for a happy, successful 2010. I would like to continue to improve myself as a person, and work at being the best me I can be (corny, I know). I would like to teach myself to be more disciplined, less lazy, and to finally find a regular schedule that I can adhere to (I think this will help with most of the other resolutions too).

Good luck to all of you! I'd love to hear your resolutions and how you plan to tackle them!

Happy 2010!

No comments:

Post a Comment