I've never been great at making or keeping New Year's resolutions. That's why I love the idea of coming up with one word to guide my year. There are a lot of fabulous folks coming up with their #oneword2012 and I finally chose mine last week.
My word for 2012 is going to be stretch.
I want to spend this year stretching my mind, my body, my spirit.
I also want to stretch my budget, stretch my creativity, and stretch my time.
I want my body to be more flexible (Sarah, remember when you could put your palms flat on the ground when touching your toes?), but I also want my attitude to be more flexible (put away some of those MBTI "J" tendencies, Sarah!).
As part of a month long challenge to blog daily, I am joining some honest, funny, and real women in #reverbbroads11. Day 6: List 10 things you would never do.
In no particular order, and with varying levels of seriousness, I present my list of 10 things I will NEVER do.
10. Be in Guinness Book of World Records for longest fingernails. (It's too gross to even post a picture!)
9. Swim the English Channel. (It is cold and I'm not that great a swimmer!)
8. Get any additional piercings. (One hole in each ear is plenty for me.)
7. Participate in a casino heist a la Ocean's Eleven. (That is one good looking group of people, though!)
6. Run for political office. People are mean and will look for every reason to smear you. I'm not thick-skinned enough to handle that.
5. Stand in line for midnight madness or early-bird specials on Black Friday. I can't think of anything that I would want that badly to forgo sleep over.
4. Become a crazy cat lady. Enough said.
3. Be ungrateful for my health. There are so many people who are dealing
with outrageous medical bills, terminal diagnoses, and daily pain.
2. Stop being thankful for my loving husband. He is my best friend. He is loyal, hilarious, creative, and my perfect other half.
1. Take my family for granted. I would not trade these 90+ people for anything! It is amazing that we can all get together and have so much fun together. I am blessed that I have so many great relatives who have become friends over the years. (Video courtesy of my dad from our Winter 2009 family gathering at Virgina Beach, VA.)
*lame nod to "Never Say Never" by the Biebs. Add that to my list: I will never see that movie!
26 was a pretty good year, and it brought along some new experiences, such as:
I tried real sushi... and I LOVE it! In fact, I would eat it once a week if I could!
We didn't move! It was the first year since I was 18 that I didn't have to pack up my stuff and change living locations.
I presented at my first national professional conference. I should find out in the next few weeks if I will have the opportunity to do that again this year.
I joined a gym. We have had a couple of spurts of consistent attendance, but I hope to get back in the pattern (and maintain that pattern) this year.
I attended a ceremony to spread the ashes of my grandfather. I am still blessed to have both of my grandmothers still living.
I won an award from my office for being an excellent advisor. I was nominated by students and chosen by some of my coworkers and other campus faculty and staff. Because of that nomination, I was nominated for a national advising award this year, and I should find out in the next month whether I won that or not.
I helped host my first bridal shower and bachelorette party. Both were really fun and really fit the personality of each of the brides.
A couple of the new experiences that I know age 27 will bring are:
Getting my first professional massage! It's scheduled for Saturday and I can't wait!
Standing as part of the bridal party for 3 of my best friends. Before this year, I've only ever been in my own wedding!
Moving into a new place...although we're not sure yet where that is going to be...
Some of the new experiences I hope age 27 will bring are:
Presenting at least one session at the national conference in October
Traveling to Colorado for the first time (it's where the national conference is hosted this year)
Running a 5k (if I can get over the terrible shin splints I get when running)
I will admit it: the husband and I have some slight pack-rat tendencies. Which is all fine and good, except for the fact that we only have 4 small closets and no other storage space in our rental. And except for the fact that we have moved 5 times since we got married 4 years ago. There was a tub of kitchen-related items sitting unopened for the past 1.5 years in a corner of our kitchen/dining area.
So, we finally have had enough and decided that it was time to get rid of some stuff. We emptied out that unopened tub of kitchen items, we cleaned out our closets and dresser (yes, one that we share for the both of us), and we went through the boxes stacked in our "storage" closet.
And this is what we came up with to get rid of:
Plus a few items that didn't make it in to the pile to be photographed.
It was practically perfect timing, too, since Jess over at Makeunder My Life just posted her Throw Out Fifty Things: 2011 Edition the other day. I'm not going to call our purge "spring cleaning" because, while we have had a few days with hints of spring, by the calendar it is still winter. And because I'm hoping that we will get rid of a few more things in the actual spring. While I didn't take pictures of each of the individual items we donated, here's a list of some of what we got rid of:
A vaccum
Old TV
Christmas tin that once held assorted popcorn
6 bags of clothes, shoes, and belts
13 3-ring notebooks
Assorted kitchen items including: cups, travel mugs, an extra whisk, meat tongs, a coffee maker, a duplicate can opener, a duplicate pizza cutter, an ice cream scoop (also a duplicate), storage canisters, Tupperware
Puppy house-training pads (Emma never used them, anyway)
When I took it to the donation center, I stuffed our little car to the brim. It felt SO GOOD to get rid of so much unnecessary stuff! And since we will be moving at the end of June (our lease is up, but we're not sure of our next destination quite yet), it will be nice to know that we have a few less pounds of stuff to haul around.
I'm pretty sure we still have a few things that we can get rid of in the spring...
Before I start, let me just say that I am definitely NOT a runner. I have a goal to complete a 5k before September 2011, but I have not even really started on the road to running.
Tonight I went for a walk with the pup. Our regular loop is about 1.5 miles. On occasion, I get the urge to do a little jogging, but because I am so out of shape (and spring allergies don't really help either), I cannot maintain a jog for very long. Tonight we walked the first half of the loop, and then I alternated running a block and walking a block until we made it home for the second half of the loop.
On top of me not being a runner, here are two big challenges when running with our dog:
1. Her natural gait is about 7-8 miles per hour. My dad clocked her with the spedometer on his bike one time. Even if I were an in-shape jogger, that would be a pretty decent pace! (Her top speed, at a full sprint going downhill, is 18 mph.)
Here they are gearing up for a bike ride: My dad and Emma
2. She is a herding breed. Her natural instinct is to chase things that are running and to get them to go where she wants. So, when I start running, she generally tries to jump onto my leg. That really throws a wrench in trying to have an okay running form. I will say that she is getting better at this, but sometimes she just can't help herself.
Emma chases after everything... even waves
On the plus side, running makes her much more tired, so once I get my stamina built up, this will be a great doggy-calming technique. Until then, I will deal with the sore quads... not from running, but from being herded.
We have got to get this under control. Time to stop eating junk and actually get out for some exercise. Maybe even start running like we have said we would for years (even if I say I hate it). We need to buy work pants for fall and I refuse to get a size larger. We have a selection of skirts in the closet that don't fit, and that is ridiculous. Get back to a place where you can wear them!
Most of all, stop making excuses for why we aren't working out or eating better. No one else really cares what we look like, but we have got to be comfortable in our own skin.
So, an acquaintance of mine from AU just posted about this and I think it is a pretty great idea. Going in to a new year, I am apt to make New Year's Resolutions, but hardly follow through with them because I don't write them down anywhere, nor do I really tell anyone what my goals are! So, here is the challenge:
Creating your own 1001 Day Project
The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips: 1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
I haven't come up with my list yet, but I will. And I will post it here. And I will blog about my accomplishments. You all will be some of the first to know about it.
