ok first things first: i was really, really apprehensive about coming back here after such a long absence. i was convinced that even if i COULD find the time and energy to come back (and get through the especially difficult post to explain why ive been gone so long) that nobody would remember me and that id just be blogging into a vacuum until i re-built my entire audience from scratch. now i would like to take a minute and say a big fat THANK YOU to everyone thats read, commented, emailed, etc., it was SO nice to come back and instantly know that people are still reading here.
but i digress.
last year was the first year that i had done the whole "choose a word to center your goals around" thing, and i have to say, i really liked it. even though my word ("focus") was a little vague and turned out to not mesh well with the goals i made and the year really, really didnt turn out the way id hoped, setting a theme for my goals was a great way to get myself excited about actually doing the things i said i was going to do.
so, obviously, im going to do it again this year.
honestly i actually had a different word (and goals) picked out (and i was really excited about them) up until, oh.... about a week ago. but then some things happened (mainly car stupidness), and well... i needed to make some adjustments. and by adjustments i mean we needed to start ALL over and find something else more appropriate.
and as i was sorting through all my blog papers half-heartedly trying to salvage my old editorial calendars and scouring craigslist for a similar replacement to my station wagon while not only dealing with all the bad things that happened over the last year but also the repercussions of how i just suck at life when im pregnant/have a newborn, my word for 2016 came to me:
fresh.
2016 is a year for fresh starts: for letting go of whats not working for us and focusing only on what is, for making our life better instead of just treading water. 2016 is a year for a fresh, positive outlook, for dropping bad habits and replacing them with good ones. 2016 is a year for really making a life we enjoy rather than just checking off a bunch of lists.
so what does this mean?
well first and foremost im not going to make a long, itemized list of goals to feel guilty about not accomplishing. but this is what weve been working on so far:
ive officially quit jamberry and selling handmade clothes. yes, those things did technically make money but not very much, and definitely not enough to make up for the time they took away from my family AND being able to work towards what i really want to do for money.
ive decided what i actually want to do for a career. im not going to juggle a whole bunch of tiny little jobs that im really not into anymore. i want to be a pattern maker. obviously i cant just go be a pattern maker right now, but my priority right now is to work as much on my education as possible so that when the time comes, i can be an awesome pattern maker.
were getting back on all kinds of wagons. remember how i said i super suck at life when im pregnant? well... over the last year i completely lost my grip on a lot of my household responsibilities. mainly the REALLY important things like budgeting, meal planning, and cleaning the house. so our first order of business is to get back on track with our former thrifty, healthy, tidy lifestyle.
im going to be like, a legit blogger. and by that i mean, i threw out all my old editorial calendars, cracked open a brand-new note book and started planning a whole YEAR of new content that im actually excited about, rather than just what i felt like i "should" be doing.
whether we like it or not, were buying a new car. ok maybe not a new, new car, but this time were going to REALLY research and carefully shop for a reliable long-term family car so that we dont end up in this exact situation not even three years from now (can you tell this has happened to us before...)
but most importantly:
im not making a lengthy list of arbitrary goals to feel bad about all of the time that im not accomplishing goals. because if theres one thing ive learned from setting new-year goals, its that (for me) they really get in the way of (me) enjoying life as it happens and celebrating the things we DO accomplish without comparing them to the things we didnt. (not knocking new-year goals in general, this is just how things have gone for me).
so yeah, thats where things seem to be headed for this fresh new year.
what do you have planned this year? do you pick a "word" for the year? if so, whats yours? let me know in the comments, i love hearing what other people pick!
honestly i actually had a different word (and goals) picked out (and i was really excited about them) up until, oh.... about a week ago. but then some things happened (mainly car stupidness), and well... i needed to make some adjustments. and by adjustments i mean we needed to start ALL over and find something else more appropriate.
and as i was sorting through all my blog papers half-heartedly trying to salvage my old editorial calendars and scouring craigslist for a similar replacement to my station wagon while not only dealing with all the bad things that happened over the last year but also the repercussions of how i just suck at life when im pregnant/have a newborn, my word for 2016 came to me:
fresh.
2016 is a year for fresh starts: for letting go of whats not working for us and focusing only on what is, for making our life better instead of just treading water. 2016 is a year for a fresh, positive outlook, for dropping bad habits and replacing them with good ones. 2016 is a year for really making a life we enjoy rather than just checking off a bunch of lists.
so what does this mean?
well first and foremost im not going to make a long, itemized list of goals to feel guilty about not accomplishing. but this is what weve been working on so far:
ive officially quit jamberry and selling handmade clothes. yes, those things did technically make money but not very much, and definitely not enough to make up for the time they took away from my family AND being able to work towards what i really want to do for money.
ive decided what i actually want to do for a career. im not going to juggle a whole bunch of tiny little jobs that im really not into anymore. i want to be a pattern maker. obviously i cant just go be a pattern maker right now, but my priority right now is to work as much on my education as possible so that when the time comes, i can be an awesome pattern maker.
were getting back on all kinds of wagons. remember how i said i super suck at life when im pregnant? well... over the last year i completely lost my grip on a lot of my household responsibilities. mainly the REALLY important things like budgeting, meal planning, and cleaning the house. so our first order of business is to get back on track with our former thrifty, healthy, tidy lifestyle.
im going to be like, a legit blogger. and by that i mean, i threw out all my old editorial calendars, cracked open a brand-new note book and started planning a whole YEAR of new content that im actually excited about, rather than just what i felt like i "should" be doing.
whether we like it or not, were buying a new car. ok maybe not a new, new car, but this time were going to REALLY research and carefully shop for a reliable long-term family car so that we dont end up in this exact situation not even three years from now (can you tell this has happened to us before...)
but most importantly:
im not making a lengthy list of arbitrary goals to feel bad about all of the time that im not accomplishing goals. because if theres one thing ive learned from setting new-year goals, its that (for me) they really get in the way of (me) enjoying life as it happens and celebrating the things we DO accomplish without comparing them to the things we didnt. (not knocking new-year goals in general, this is just how things have gone for me).
so yeah, thats where things seem to be headed for this fresh new year.
what do you have planned this year? do you pick a "word" for the year? if so, whats yours? let me know in the comments, i love hearing what other people pick!
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