2013 Goals

Happy New Year! 

I reframed my annual goals and made them perhaps less SMART, but more like guidelines or pillars for living life in a positive way.


Self-Care
This could mean that I get to bed at an earlier time, or that I say no to more than 2 social engagements per week, or that I remember to stretch for at least 5 minutes a day. Being kind and gentle with myself and my physical/mental/emotional needs is the foundation to having a better quality of life.

Minimize
I'd say I could stand to lose 1000 things. I have a tendency to save things (greeting cards, kitchen gadgets, office supplies), thinking that I'll need it in the future. We just don't have the room for them! This year I need to start using those things up. Maybe make a rule that if I haven't used it in a year and won't use it for sure in the next year, it gets tossed. Unless it's REALLY SPECIAL.

Spend Time and Money Wisely
I plan to keep most of my time and money close to home this year. I'll be saving for a number of large goals (emergency fund, grad school, adoption expenses, house down payment, big vacation, retirement) and reducing the hours I spent away from home at church, rehearsal, and maybe the office.

Keep Learning
Once I graduate, I won't have the same structure around learning. My time in grad school has introduced me to many topics I'd like to explore -- and I know that free online resources (Code Year, Khan Academy, and even Youtube) are available to help me expand my skills and knowledge.

Try New Things
Food. Places. Activities. I'm continuing with my "101 Things in 1001 days" list, and I've decided to find new social engagements (one at a time!) on Meetup. Stretching a little out of my comfort zone will help me grow.

Track Accomplishments
It's important to recognize what successes I've worked for; part of documenting them will be blogging a monthly catch-up on these goals.

What are your 2013 goals/resolutions?