2013 Resolutions

While I try to make some resolutions, I do not always meet all of my expectations.  But that is okay.  With a firmness of purpose, I usually make steps toward my resolutions to some degree & for me, those steps are rewarding in and of themselves.  Plus, the new year helps remind me (more than any other day) of one of my favorite quotes:

That every passing minute is a another chance to turn it all around.
-Vanilla Sky

I mean, that’s a good quote (& a good movie..but I digress).  I try to remind myself of this when I am feeling discouraged or stressed – it tends to help me feel better when I put things into perspective and stay positive.  & I guess, my New Years Resolutions help me to put things into perspective and gives me the purpose for the year that I sometimes forget.

So before I move forward and lay out my 2013 Resolutions, I am going to recap my 2012 Resolutions.  I will admit, I did not achieve all of my 2012 Resolutions but I think that I made steps toward all of them in one way or another.

Fitness/Health

-Run 12 races in 2012 - I actually ran 8 races.  Not a Win but not a complete Fail.
-Complete half marathon in under 2:15 – WIN.  2:09:19!
-Be active more days a week than not – While this did not happen every week, the majority of 2012 I was pretty active.  Especially living in NYC & having to walk everywhere.
-Do yoga 1x per week – Again, 1X per week would be a stretch but I did incorporate more yoga into my routine – especially during the summer.
-Drink 80 oz water per day – The last month aside – this was a clear WIN.
-More strength training/stretching - Strength training was kinda non-existent.  One of my big oops of 2012.
-Track all workouts on dailymile - Every run was recorded on dailymile – WIN.
-Join running club – Eh…not yet BUT I did join their google mailing list!
-Take vitamins – WIN.

Personal

-Make 1 phone call to friend/family per week – If BLC counts!  Ha – nope, still bad as ever with this one but I have reworked it to make it a little more realistic for ME.
-Work on blog (post at least 3x per week) – It took me until the end of 2012 but I think I have finally found my groove with HLHW.  WIN.
-Read at least 1 book per month – I read 9 and I am currently in the middle of 3 books.  So not exactly 1 a month but pretty dang close.
-Volunteer at least 1x per month – Ugh.  No.  Did not happen BUT I did sign up for NYC Cares & attend their orientation & I donated to quite a few charities in 2012.  Something to work on in 2013.
-Take more pictures – WIN.  Now I just need a new camera so I can stop using my phone
-Send out one letter/card per month - I was gonna leave this one out because this resolution was clearly not a win…but that would be dishonest & that ain’t good.
-Try 4 new recipes per month – While I did not keep track, I am always cooking new recipes so I think this one would be a WIN.  (Right BLC?)

Professional

-Get a legit associate position - WIN.  WIN.  WIN.  Probably my biggest resolution of 2012.  BAM.
-Consolidate student loans (ugh)/start paying them off ASAP – WIN for the consolidation, now to get all of the paperwork in order to start paying them off.

So now that we have recapped my 2012 Resolutions & I have reevaluated what I hope for 2013 – here are my 2013 Resolutions!

2013 Resolutions!

Fitness/Health
-Start each day with breakfast
-Run a sub-2 hour half marathon
-Stop snoozing the alarm in the morning!
-Incorporate cross-training into my runs
-Drink more water consistently
-Join the North Brooklyn Runner Club

Personal
-Finish all of the books I started and never finished in 2012 & read one book a month after
-Go for a walk with Freckles at least 1X per week
-Plan a date night 1X per month with BLC
-Stay consistent with HLHW (post 3X a week)
-Stick with our budget
-Volunteer at animal shelter or domestic violence clinic
-Keep in better touch with my girlfriends (email or phone)
-Create a bucketlist
-Unplug at least 1 day per month

Professional
-Stay focused at work
-Ask more questions – LEARN!
-Try to find a way to incorporate what I love into my career

So there you have it, folks.  Yes, there are a lot of resolutions & yes, they may not all turn out perfectly but I will keep them in my mind throughout 2013 & try to accomplish them.

Also, I have a lot more people reading them this year compared to last year so maybe that will keep me a bit more accountable.  (Fun fact:  More people read HLHW between January 1-3, 2013 than the amount of people who read HLHW in all of December 2011-February 2012.  Whoa.)

I will try to dedicate a day per month to recap how I am doing.

I think 2013 is going to be a good year

What are some of your New Years Resolutions (or goals…whatev!)?