2013 Goals

Ok fine, this is a 4th of July picture, but fireworks are for NYE too!

Well it's that time again, the time when we get ready to say goodbye to one year and prepare to welcome a new one. We don't know where the tradition of making New Year resolutions came from, although google could probably inform us, but we do like the idea of taking this time of year as an opportunity to reflect on where we've been and where we want to go. Practically speaking there probably isn't any real difference between a resolution and a goal, but we prefer to call these goals. To us a resolution seems more like a one shot deal, you either succeed or you don't. A goal on the other hand is something you work towards and can progress on, so that it's not a failure if you don't reach the full end point so long as you moved closer to it.

2012 has been a pretty great year for both of us, particularly towards the end, so 2013 has a lot to live up to.  With our individual plans for the coming year though, we think 2013 has a pretty good chance of beating out 2012 as one of the best years ever.  So with that said here are our personal goals for 2013.

1.  Take Risks

We both discovered later in 2012 that if we just take a chance on ourselves, great things can happen.  It is all too easy to let a fear of failure or embarrassment hold you back, and we admit to having been guilty of this ourselves.  So in 2013 we hope to push past these barriers and take some risks on ourselves, albeit calculated risks.  As someone once said, you can never succeed if you never try, so here's to taking passions to the next level and taking chances!

2.  Listen To Our Bodies

While 2012 was a wonderful year for many reasons, we both have to acknowledge that we let our bodies down in various ways.  M got so wrapped up in work and other life advancements that she let exercise and healthy eating fall off her priority list.  Meanwhile, H had to face the reality that her body can no longer process dairy products with lactose.  We have both already started trying to work on this goal over the past month, M has perhaps been a little more successful than H (Holiday season is HARD!  So much cheese!).  However we both have a long way to go with this one.  It will take a lot of hard work, and pushing through nights when the couch beckons and saying no to that baked brie appetizer someone ordered for the table, but we both know it will be worth it.  M has a half marathon and a full marathon on her calendar for 2013 already, and H is busily testing recipes.  There will be progress updates from both of us along the way, and most likely we will each face some setbacks, but that is reality, and again a goal is something you work towards and mark progress for along the way.  We may or may not reach the full end point (is there even an end point for something like this) by the end of 2013, but we feel confident that we will be closer than we are now.

3.  Learn To Say No

It's so easy at this time in our lives to over commit.  We work all day, and there are various happy hours and events to attend at night.  Some of these are work related so you feel you have to go, and others are simply with friends that you feel like you should go to.  It is definitely important to make time for friends, however sometimes it's necessary to just simply say "No".  We aren't 21 anymore, we can't just skip an 8am class in the morning (or plan a schedule that gives Fridays off), we need rest, we need time to exercise, and we can not subject our bodies to bar food on a regular basis any more.  So in 2013 we plan to exercise the word "No".  Sometimes it will be a complete no because we simply need some personal time, other times it will be "No, I can't do happy hour, but how about we go for a run or cook a healthy meal together?"  We know some might take offense, but the real friends, the ones that will transition with us as our lives change over the next several years, they will understand and might even be grateful for new hanging out alternatives.

4.  Learn To Let It Go

Nothing feels worse than the realization that you've made a mistake.  It creates a deep pit in your stomach and puts a dark cloud over your head, or at least that's what it does to us.  It can be hard to let something like this go, but it's necessary in order to be able to forward and past whatever the mistake was.  We both have a habit of beating ourselves up when we've let ourselves down or messed up.  It's like a twisted game of "if I shame myself enough then it will make things better", but it does the complete opposite usually.  So we both need to work on acknowledging our missteps, taking a little time to learn why they happened, and then instead of engaging in self shaming learning to release ourselves from the negativity and move on.  In yoga, during the end meditation portion of a class, you are supposed to have a completely clear head.  However, great instructors will tell you that if a thought comes into your mind it's ok, you should acknowledge the thought that is there and then you should release it so you can come back to a clear head.  It is such a freeing experience to do this on the mat, and so we hope to put this into practice off the mat in our daily lives as well.

5.  Get Organized!

Ok, this is really an H goal, but man oh man do I need to focus on this one.  I function in what I would call organized chaos.  Basically my desks regularly look like disaster zones, and I tend to think that I know where the things I need are.  Sometimes I'm right, but there are times when something important gets buried and forgotten about, although thankfully these tend to get rediscovered just in the nick of time.  Really, though, I am 29 years old, I cannot allow myself to live like this anymore.  I need to find organizational methods that truly work for me, and the organized chaos method is no longer an option.  If I find any useful tips along the way I will definitely share them, although right now I could use any advice you have to offer me.

So that's it, those are five goals for the 2013 year.  We are very excited for the things that are coming up for us in this new year, and we look forward to more blogging and sharing with all of you.

What goals or resolutions do you have for 2013?