Yes, I know it’s a bit early, but I’ve already been thinking about 2012. Some people are against New Year’s resolutions, claiming that they set you up for failure. But as a Virgo, I’m a big fan of making lists. If I don’t get it on paper, it goes back into the jumbled mess that is my brain. And I’d like to think that I’m realistic about my resolutions. Life happens, which means you might not be able to fulfill all of them and that’s OK. Me, personally, I just have to put them out there so that I don’t lose sight of my goals while life is happening.
So, this is my piece of “paper.”
1. Take a trip to NYC. Neither my husband nor I have ever been to NYC and lately I’ve been feeling a strong urge to go. I believe some places call you at different points in your life. I want to dine at Candle 79. I want to visit the Guggenheim and MoMA. I want to just hang in Central Park.
2. Run a 10k. I’ve never been a runner. I’ve dabbled in it here and there, running on treadmills and even running in a couple of 5Ks. And I always felt awesome after participating. But I’ve always had a hard time sticking with it. I’ll get serious for a few weeks and then come up with some excuse for not going out one evening (it’s raining, too cold, I’ve got work to do), and the next thing I know, it’s been a couple of weeks since I last put in a run. But this year, I’m cutting the crap. I’m done with looking at other runners with envy and I’m done with putting it off until “tomorrow.”
3. Keep up with yoga. Thanks to a Living Social coupon, I started practicing yoga in January of this year. I quickly fell in love with it and even started going three times a week. But after going through a merger and layoffs at my work at the end of August, I decided to put it on hold. It’s not the cheapest form of exercise and not knowing where my job was going, I just couldn’t justify the expense. Sadly, I gave it up just when I needed it the most. Not going has had a very negative impact on my mood and I’ve been very down lately. And it goes without saying that I feel horrible physically. But I’ve decided to go back and I’m not waiting until 2012. Yeah, it’s an extra expense, but as my friend put it, it really is a form of health insurance.
4. Start figuring out my next chapter. I feel incredibly lucky. I love my job, even with the merger/layoffs that happened a few months ago. But, if anything, the whole ordeal made me think about what I really want to do with my life. And, hopefully, when my husband is able to find steady work, I will be able to put more time and thought into it. I miss school, but I don’t think getting another degree is for me. I love vegan cooking and would love to turn that into something, though I’m not sure what that would be. But I’m going to be a little selfish next year and really focus on myself and where I’m going professionally.
6. Get back on track with personal finances. With my husband leaving his job to go back to school, we knew we were going to have to make some sacrifices. I feel incredibly lucky that we’ve been able to maintain some savings along the way, but it’s certainly not where it needs to be. And it’s not just about putting money into an account. I want to be smarter about investing in general and that includes putting my money into socially responsible investments. I don’t want retirement to be a big question mark for us.
7. Relax and enjoy life. This kind of speaks for itself. I just want to stop stressing so much and start living life. And, really, as long as my friends and family are happy and healthy, then I know it’ll be a good year.
Well, that’s about it. I realize this is a very selfish post, but I hope that maybe it will help some readers find their focus for next year.
