2012: Bring It On

As year 2011 came closer and closer to an end, and the excitement, the hope, and the unknown of year 2012 shimmered more and more brightly in front of me, I decided to take the routine of my typical New Year’s Resolutions a bit more seriously this time around. Throughout the past couple of months I’ve been making a mental list of improvements I would like to make to myself and my life. I remember several times my wonderful brother-in-law Aaron was over to visit, chatting with us about his thoughts and goals of constantly ascending in life; how we should always be striving to improve ourselves. He brought up that it takes about one month to break or make a habit. He suggested we work on one thing at a time, so as to not get overwhelmed and give up. Once we’ve changed one thing on our lives we should move onto the next thing, and never stop. He actually created a blog post about it which you can read here. You can view his full site/blog at OurKirklandFamily.com.

I’ve thought about his words and example many times since those conversations, and they’ve (obviously) left a lasting impression. I’ve decided that throughout year 2012 I am going to focus on one thing each month; one simple improvement to my life, or something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Sometimes it will be a general theme, other times a specific daily task, other times breaking a bad habit. Also along with my monthly goals, I have a couple of goals that I will be working on the entire year.

After organizing and reviewing my list of “resolutions”, I noticed most of them would be really fun to blog about! I figured this would be a great way to keep family and friends up to date with our lives, and also share with everyone the great things we’re doing this year. I also hope to be inspiration for any of you who have any procrastinated goals or thoughts of improvement or creativity put on the back burner. Not only is it not nearly as overwhelming as it seems, but it’s actually very fun and exciting. I’m throwing away all the excuses I’ve used for so long and just doing it. You know, the “I don’t have the time”, “Where do I even find the tools to do that?? I’ll figure it out later”, “I’ll quit once __insert challenge in life__ is over” excuses. It’s time to make some changes, do the things I’ve been wanting to do, and become the person I want to be!

Here is my outline for the year:

Monthly
January: 4 Week Boot Camp / Kick Caffeine
February: Learn Something(s) New
March: Intimacy – Woohoo!
April: Family Activities
May: Organization Challenge
June: Project Lunchbox
July: Yoga & Meditation
August: 30 Day Photo Challenge
September: Practice Piano
October: Journal Daily
November: DIY Crafts
December: Service / Prepare Goals for 2013

Yearly
Reading: One self improvement book each month (list yet to be determined)
Dating: Go on a date every month! I want to do things we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but just don’t get around to planning it (go out dancing, iPic theatre, hiking, etc.)

I plan to blog about my milestones and progress I’m making, along with anything I decide to do that wasn’t necessarily on my list (anything crafty, inspirational, or just plain out of the ordinary). I also hope to blog about our boys, to help keep our family updated on how quickly they’re becoming little men. I hope you stick around and enjoy, and of course I wish you a Happy New Year!