blah blah blah: goal

Showing posts with label goal. Show all posts

Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Goals Rundown

2015 was an interesting year. Let's take a look at my goals and what I accomplished:

This year will be my first in Colorado. There are so many things I want to do out in this part of the country, that some sightseeing/travel is on my list as well as personal growth.

find a job

Accepted job January 22nd and started job January 26th
Accepted a consulting job August 11th
Accepted a consulting job end of August
Quit one consulting job end of September

find a place to live

6 month lease December 2014 - May 2015. This was temporary...needed to find a job before I can find something a little more permanent
......Never moved out :( Still living in a temporary house with very little things.

become a resident of the state

Went to DMV January 2nd, $21 for license
VIN verification at police station, January 6th. $15
Car Insurance. January 8th. Saved approx. $400 a year.
Registration & Plates from DMV. January 8th. $550.95. 80 minutes of waiting.
Post office to mail back NY license plates. $5.75, got back $65 from NYS prorated registration fees.
Received my Colorado License in the mail Jan.12th.

buy used or new/upgrade my phone (in January my phone turns 4!)

My friend gave me her old iPhone 4 in February It was in perfect condition. Because it was compatible with Verizon, I switched from Sprint, I hadn't had an upgrade in 2 years so it was an easy switch.

start meditating

mediation 1/11/15, January & February were filled with meditation....that slowly stopped in March.

work on my spirituality

perhaps find out who my spirit guides are

I tried to do a few guided meditations but was unable to succeed in this.
However, I talk to them regularly and thank them for their work
I also took a past-life regression class, but struggled with it.

get more music and update my ipod/ipad

utilized my library free downloads a few weeks this year
April 19th, somehow deleted all the downloads of music from the last year or two...I had some on a backup drive...but I still lost about 200 new/recent songs.
April 29th - restored my lost music!
December - new bf has great music, trying to convince him to make me a 'mixed tape'

date -

Went on dates from eHarmony.

First Guy - 3 dates
Second Guy - 1 date
Third Guy - 6 dates

Took the months of March, April, May, June off from dating
Signed up for another 3 months of online dating. July, August, September

met 3 people in August, one of which lead to one month of dates in August. It didn't work our romantically, but we wanted to stay friend by September and we've hung out a bunch more since.
met 1 guy in September...had A LOT dates. We started dating exclusively. Fell in love :)

explore new areas/adventures here in Colorado and its neighboring states

Estes Park, CO
Winter Park, CO
Nederland, CO
Moab, Utah
Colorado Springs, CO
Alamosa, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO

try to do at least three 'fun' things a month

January

January 3rd attended a Tama Kieves seminar about releasing fear in the new year (free) and went to lunch with a friend and a new friend.
January 9th went to Boulder Beer Brewery for a tour and Celestial Seasonings for a tour (free)
January 11th went to the Denver Zoo for a few hours (free)
January 13th - saw Wild ($9). The manager got there pretty late so the movie started late. They gave out free popcorn...and then a voucher for a free movie before the end of this year.
January 15 - 18th - Naples, FL
January 24th - Snowshoe at RMNP with a meetup group (free, but paid for gas)

February

February 4th - Handwriting analysis seminar ($10)
February 7th - Past life group regression ($25)
February 8th - Flatirons Hike (free)
February 14th - Estes Park, RMNP and Stanley Hotel ($17)
February 15th - Comedy Club
February 22nd - attended a play (with a date; tickets were a gift)

March

March 8th - Astrology workshop; natal charts ($10)
March 11th - Attended an Inspiring Women event (free)
March 14th - Frozen Dead Guy Festival, Nederland
March 19th - March Madness begins
March 28-31 - Winter Park with (some) family

April

April 4th - Seder dinner ($10)
April 11th - Burritos & Board Games ($5)
April 23rd - Dart Warz ($10)
April 25th - Board Games (made 16 mini lasagnas)
April 29th - Movie Screening ($10)

May 1st - saw a previous colleague. Drinks at the Four Seasons
May 8 -11th - went to NY for a visit
May 17th - hike with Meetup group
May 23rd - Colorado National Monument (free with pass)
May 24th - 27th - Moab, UT. Canyonlands & Arches (free with pass + $100 in group guided tous)

June

June 9th - REI class: How to Climb a 14er (free)
June 11th - Taste of the West Festival, Lakewood (downpour & lightening made this close way early....before we got our samples!) ($8)
June 14th - Wine & Paint ($30)
~~June 18th - REI class: Gourmet Camp Cooking (free)~~ instructor didn't show up
June 20th - A round table discussion on what men want in a relationship

July

July 1st - Wicked at DCPA ($109, yikes! and I don't even get to sit with my friend)
July 14-15: Colorado Springs....Pikes Peak, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, Airplane Restaurant
July 15-17: Alamosa....Bishop Castle (rye), Great Sand Dunes NP, Zapata Falls, Gator park
July 18: Four Corners, Mesa Verde
July 19: Nurf Gun war
July 20: Rockies Game at Coors Stadium
July 21: Waterworld
July 22: Tour of Mile High Stadium
July 30: Attended a nonprofit fundraiser/info BBQ

August

August 7-17th - New York

August 9th - BBQ
August 11th - Dentist and see two friend/old coworkers
August 13th - Tea leaf reading
August 14th - Beach

August 18th - Book of Mormon at DCPA ($45 plus $10 parking)
August 21st - Sunflower Field near airport
August 22nd - Scavenger Hunt ($50+)
August 22nd - Book of Mormon at DCPA ($12 parking. date paid dinner. tickets were free)

September

September 1st - Hall & Oats at Red Rocks Amphitheater ($50)
September 4th - Comedy show with a date (date paid)
September 5th & 6th - Steamboat Springs
September 13th - Euro board game night (free)
September - bought a bike....bike rides
September 25th - Date. drinks/dinner ($25)
September 27th - Blood moon super eclipse (free)
September 30th - Salsa Dancing ($10)

October

October 2nd - Lookingglass Alice performance (tickets were given to me). Dinner beforehand. ($12 parking +$22 drinks)
October 3rd - Mount Evans ($48 lunch, but FREE with park pass, saved $10!)
October 10th - Volunteered for a fundraiser
October 17-18th - Salt Lake City, UT
October 22nd- Dallas, TX

November

November 6-12 - Visit NY
November 15 - Broncos Game
November 17, 24 - Bar Trivia
November 26 - Meet the BF's family

December

December 6-8 - Steamboat Springs
December 10th - build gingerbread house
December 12th - Holiday Dinner with friends
December 17th - Paint Night
December 19th - Christmas Party
December 24th - Star Wars
December 29th - Nuggets Game
December 8, 22, 29th - Bar Trivia

give more compliments

Yeah, I am going to wait on this. Too much other stuff to work on. And I don't see a lot of people.
Thanked my employee for doing such a wonderful job. And told her how much I valued her opinion.
Salsa dancing - I told a few men I thought they were very good dancers/leaders. They seemed to appreciate that.
Giving the boyfriend a lot of Thank Yous and compliments. Everyone needs to hear that for everyday things too.

stop feeling obligated

I guess this is one of the reasons I moved. I felt obligated with a lot of family things or to maintain certain friendships back home. Now, I have a lot less obligations and I have enjoyed that when I see people I enjoy it more than when you have to be there.
I stood up for myself at work and asked for more money because they kept asking me to do more, piling up more work on a super low salary...I felt obligated to do the work, of course; but at what price?
Work conference in April reminded me that I'd rather succeed and put on a good performance than to disappoint people, even if that means stretching myself too thin because other people aren't stepping up to the plate. I felt strained, stressed and started to resent those people and their empty and unfulfilling promises. Yet they had no clue the burden they put on me and thought everything was all right. Especially because it was work, and my high levels of professionalism, I can't stand by and watch things fall apart. I make myself feel obligated to step up and go out of my way for little or no recognition because I'd rather other people to have a good experience and to make my organization not seem like such a mess.
I took on two part time jobs in addition to my full time job because I hate saying no when people ask for help. And it could be rewarding...I just need to check that I am not overextending myself and getting burnt out, otherwise it isn't worth it....and i'll have to stop feeling obligated when I owe them nothing.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015 Goals

This year will be my first in Colorado. There are so many things I want to do out in this part of the country, that some sightseeing/travel is on my list as well as personal growth.

find a job
find a place to live
become a resident of the state
buy used or new/upgrade my phone (in January my phone turns 4!)
start meditating
work on my spirituality

perhaps find out who my spirit guides are

get more music and update my ipod/ipad
date
explore new areas/adventures here in Colorado and its neighboring states
try to do at least three 'fun' things a month
give more compliments
stop feeling obligated

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Goals Rundown

This year my goals included:

learn/try to compost Did NOT do this.
read at least 10 non-fiction books completed, read 12. see books I've read list
become a better friend....or make a friend I made three friends in CO, and rekindled a friendship from high school, but it is sort of like a new friend.
save more, lower debt With the move, I didn't save a dime. Will try again when I get a job.
enjoy a more balanced life Sort of. I moved for this reason. Until I work full time, I can't say it is balanced, but the second half of the year has been more 'fun' than years past.
send written notes (thank you's, birthdays, congratulations, etc) I was all over this. I sent out moving thank you cards to about 40 people, I sent out hand written thank you notes to people after a party, along the way, I mailed out many post cards to various people. I sent sympathy cards, engagement cards and a few birthday cards. I spent about $60 on cards and about $100 on postage.
be more tolerant of other people I think I have. I've had so much more on my mind that I am not really sure if I noticed many other people. My road trip didn't result in much cursing because of bad drivers and since I didn't work as soon as I got here, I didn't have to worry about strange coworkers. When you are happier in general, I think this really isn't much of an issue.

and I'd really like to sell stuff I don't use/need...but that is a lot of work...and I am just not sure if I have it in me to do that this year. Garage sales are great, but why should I sell a coach bag I used once for $5? I shouldn't. People go to garage sales thinking they can get anything everything super cheap ($5-$10) sometimes the stuff is good stuff. I did have a garage sale before I moved and I sold a few things on ebay. It was a lot of work!

I'd also like to be more productive. Not just with work, but my free time. I feel like I waste a lot of time away, and I'd like to see that time being put to better use. This was really half and half accomplishment. Once I realized I was going to move, I worked my butt off getting things ready, packing, selling, wrapping things up, saying goodbye, etc. There was so much to do. But once I moved and I didn't have a routine, I wasted a ton of time mostly because I was feeling guilty for having "fun" when I should be spending all my time looking for employment. So there were days I didn't leave the house and weeks where I didn't do anything fun because I felt guilty. I should have enjoyed that time off more...lesson learned.

And without needing to list it above, selling my apartment this year would make me really happy. I need this to happen, I hate living here. But the apartment is listed with an agent, and the price is below market (and will probably be reduced again) and therefore sort of out of my control regarding selling. The apartment sold! Yes, I lost money...but thankfully it all worked out.

Finally, I'd love to plan a trip...but I am not sure if I am going to have the money for the kind of trip I'd like to plan. This year I will have some big expenses...so this is not a priority. I'd say my 2 week road trip was more than enough for this year! It was such an amazing experience.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

the thrill of certification

I've been in my profession about 8 years and figured it was time to try to get certified. Over the last five years I took a handful of short online courses in marketing, financial management, customer service, etc. The courses were fairly easy, and as long as you answered at least two discussion questions and completed the project, you got the credit. Online courses weren't enough, I also had to have a minimum number of hours of webinars or live courses. Once I completed those 100 hour minimums, I was ready to sign up for the certification exam.

It was really hard to get back into that routine of studying again. I signed up for an online study group, which helped focus my reading. First I started with reading the books on the train to and from work. I also made about 300 flash cards. Reviewing for 80 minutes 5 days a week didn't seem like enough (shockingly) so I had to include 1-2 hours after work at least twice a week plus a few hours on the weekends. Of course there were some weeks where I couldn't keep up with this routine. It was a lot of work. There weren't many practice tests available, but I did have about 3 in my possession, so I took them throughout the 3 months I studied and turned many of them into flashcards too. All the exams I finished early, I wasn't averaging 1.2 minutes per question and I was only averaging about a 60%.

3 months of studying. At the end, I was getting burnt out. I didn't want to study anymore. I wanted my 'life' back (which is silly because I don't do much) and I wanted to read for fun again. But I pushed through to the end. I took the day off before the exam to review areas I was less confident about...but for the most part, by this time, I thought I was ready to go.

The morning of the exam, I went into the city early and walked around for about 40 minutes for fresh air and to get my blood flowing. I still got to the site early, mostly because it was raining and I didn't have an umbrella or a hood.

There were only three candidates in the room. They provided the pencils and the water. No snacks at all during the 4 hour, 200 question exam.

At the appropriate time, I opened my exam book and started. Slowly, I started to become frustrated with the questions of the exam. I started skipping the ones I had no idea what the answer was, and I'd go back at the end, I had to remember to leave enough time. At three and a half hours, I counted how many questions I had no clue what the answer was...30. Yikes. 30 questions I would be mostly guessing plus other questions I got wrong. I was getting frustrated. I didn't like where this was headed. Time was ticking. I realized I was spending so much time re-reading some of the poorly worded questions and re-reading questions because I was still trying to figure it out.

At exactly four hours I put my pencil down. Not because I was done and confident with my responses, but because I didn't have any time left. I answered all the questions, but there were a few I would have liked to think about a little more. Oh well.

Then I had to wait 8 weeks for the results.

When the sealed, confidential envelope arrived at work, I had this sinking feeling that I failed and would try to re-take the exam one more time. I started to dread giving up my 'fun' reading again. But I also remembered how much time and work I put into it. No matter what would happen, I knew that I learned so much, and there is always more to learn. I looked up and thought of ManFriend and his encouragement about certification, I knew he'd want to see me pass.

I debated if I should open the envelope at work or wait until I got home. But it was staring at me. I am really bad with will-power. I had to get it over with. I needed to know.

I read the letter. It didn't make any sense. I read it again. Wait, what was that first word? Congratulations.? Holy shit. I did it. I passed. I started shaking. I went into my bosses office with the letter in my hand and I said "I did it, I passed". and his smile was so huge and congratulated me, stating that he was confident I was going to pass. You could tell how proud of me he was.

I took a picture of the letter and I mass texted many of the people that knew about the examination and the time I put into it. Everyone was thrilled.

It was a very labor intensive (and expensive) process. But rewarding. I feel so accomplished. And I really did learn so much over the last few years.

Now I just need to keep it up the credential and recertify every few years.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

2014 Goals

This year my goals include:

learn/try to compost
read at least 10 non-fiction books
become a better friend....or make a friend
save more, lower debt
enjoy a more balanced life
send written notes (thank you's, birthdays, congratulations, etc)
be more tolerant of other people

I'd also like to be more productive. Not just with work, but my free time. I feel like I waste a lot of time away, and I'd like to see that time being put to better use.

Finally, I'd love to plan a trip...but I am not sure if I am going to have the money for the kind of trip I'd like to plan. This year I will have some big expenses...so this is not a priority.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 Dreams & Goals rundown

Here is my yearly rundown on my 2013 goals:

Whenever I say "I never..." write it down, and by the end of the year try about 60% of what I never did before. (unfortunately I had to factory reset my phone and I lost my list of I never's and couldn't remember all of them - and then I stopped writing them, this list was as of August)

~~See a Fox~~
~~Eat at Red Plum (local restaurant)~~
~~Try Korean Food~~
Drive in NYC
Get divorced and remarried
Had a threesome/orgy
Smoked a cigarette
Tried any drugs
~~Eaten eel~~
Been to Europe
~~Buy & use canned chicken~~
~~Attend a show/concert/play alone~~
~~Have ice cream with pineapple~~
~~Watch any episode of any of the housewive~~s (Beverly Hills S4 E8)
~~Tried an apricot~~
~~Had hot Chinese mustard~~
Played Clue Jr.
Been to Baltimore
~~Had lemon meringue pie~~
~~Used my food dehydrator~~
~~Saw Swiss Family Robinson~~
~~Saw King Kong~~
~~Had Whiskey~~
Float down a river in an inner tube
Been to the Caribbean
Been to an NFL game
Tailgated
~~Been to MetLife Stadium~~
~~Had a brown shelled egg~~
~~Had escargot~~
Had beef jerky
Played hand ball
Rode on a motorcycle

Be more spontaneous
Be in the moment more...enjoy the time when there, and stop trying to look past that time. Enjoy the person I am with, as I might never see them again. And if I don't want to be somewhere, well, suck it up and ENJOY it anyway.
Move --> moved back into apartment 7/2013
Spend less money on clothes than I did last year

2012 - not less than $2,514.70 (I lost some Quicken data)
2013 - approx $1,611.42

Try 10 new foods

Korean Food. EUI Special; thinly sliced beef with vegetables in broth with stew & rice (1/4/13, see above link under I never)

Korean Food at Don's Bogam

2. Panna Cotta. I went out to Park Avenue Winter for NYC restaurant week. A very interesting combination of textures, this was cranberry and brown sugar crumbs. It was much more flavorful than I thought it would be.

Park Avenue Winter - Panna Cotta

3. Fuyu Persimmon. While at the farmer's market, I saw some things I've never seen before, and figured this would be a great opportunity to try something new. I went with the Fuyu. It sort of looked like a tomato but smelled a little sweeter. When I got home I googled the Fuyu to discover it was a persimmon, and ways to eat it. One suggested peeling the skin, even thought it is a tree to mouth food. I peeled it and sliced it in circles to see the pretty star pattern. The fruit was soft and sweet. I actually really enjoyed it, wish I had more...but it was a $1 for the small guy...so it is one of those things I'd have to keep my eye out for in the future - I think their season is September - December.

4. Hot Chinese Mustard - I don't like regular mustard, so to try this was a little difficult. As my picture shows, I didn't enjoy it.

5. Hot Chinese Oil - I was having dinner over my sister's house and the hot oil came up. who liked it, who didn't. I haven't taste that yet, so I figured why not? I put it on my dumpling. It was good, I enjoyed it.

6. Eel - the best way for me to taste eel was in sushi. So, while I ate it, there were other flavors that distracted me, like the asparagus (that was the first time I had asparagus in a sushi roll also).

7. Guava - I went to a fruit stand and decided to pick up three new foods, but this was the only one I tried. I liked the guava, but the seeds were a little hard for me.

8. Apricot - The apricot size, shape and feel reminded me of a small peach. But it was sweeter, it had a really good flavor; when I was done with the apricot, I wanted more. Delicious I hope to buy these more often...although they aren't as prevalent in the grocery store as other fruits, I had a super small selection on purchase date.

9. Red Snapper - I eat a bunch of fish, but I have yet to have red snapper...I thought it was time to try it. I made it an Indian version - using turmeric, curry powder, cilantro, lime juice, Greek yogurt, etc. The marinade was delicious - I am going to make again with chicken. The red snapper wasn't bad...not my favorite, but I'd eat it again.

10. Lemon Meringue Pie - I was out with a few friends and one ordered a lemon meringue pie slice. I never had it, and I remembered my list of nevers...and figured I should grab a fork and taste a bite of her's. I did. I didn't like it, but then again, I am not crazy about lemons...so I had a feeling it wouldn't rise to the top of my favorites list.

11. Escargot - I was with Mountain Man and he suggested escargot as an appetizer. I haven't had it, and not that I wanted to impress him, but I was all about new adventures and trying new things...so I said sure...it isn't a delicacy for no reason. I had two on a small piece of bread.

12. Chicken Heart - At Fogo de Chao in Rio de Janeiro, they brought the chicken hearts over a few times, finally I said I'd try it. It was very tough and chewy. I didn't like it.

13. Oysters - I tried my first oyster with Mountain Man in San Diego. I was nervous, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I expected it to be big and chewy, but instead it was big but soft.

14. Hominy - I tried hominy as part of a food cooking challenge. I have to say, I liked it, I would definitely eat it again.

15. Spam - I tried this as part of the same cooking challenge. As soon as I cracked open the lid, it smelled like cat food. I pan fried it and added it into brussel sprouts and whatnot...but it was disgusting. I will avoid this going forward.

Spend less time on Facebook
Get my photo taken in 5 interesting places

Dallara Indy Car Factory (6/24/13)

Yellowstone National Park (8/2013)

Christ the Redeemer (9/2013)

Iguassu Falls (9/2013)

5. Pacific Ocean (11/19/2013)

My resolution roulette challenges:

Plan a monthly get together with my family friends

January (holiday party), February (diner), March (Applebee's & trivia), April (going away dinner), May (diner), June (Applebee's), July (March Madness party), August (bar), September (pizzeria), October (home), November (home), December (holiday party)

Do 12 hours of charitable work

3 hours in a soup kitchen 1/18/13
2 hours tutoring with Biology 6/9/13
3 hours working local carnival 6/29/13
3 hours working local carnival 6/30/13
4 hours working local carnival 7/2/13
6 hours working local carnival 7/4/13

Sunday, November 24, 2013

my accomplishments

Sometimes I feel like my life is so boring and I haven't accomplished too much...here are highlights.

In 4th grade standardized testing, I was in the very high percentile for analytic understanding, 9 yo.
I came in second place in my 5th grade sprint around the school on field day
At 11, I received the most amount of popcorn in my class every week in school based on participation, attendance and manners
I came in second place in a science fair at 12
Taught myself how to type at 14
I had my first french kiss at 15
I passed my driving test on the first try at 16
I graduated high school in the top third of my class (there were 500+ kids) at 17
I flew on a plane for the first time (and without a parent) at 18
I received two star pin awards for excellent customer service when I worked at a bank; at approx. 21
I graduated from college at 22
I feel in love for the first time at 23
I traveled internationally for the first time at 24
I received my MBA, and jot my first 'real' job at 26
I took my first solo vacation at 27
I became CPR certified at 28 (and again at 33)
I bought a condo at 29
Read over 50 books in one year at 31
I paid off my credit card debt at 33
At 34 I went to South America

Sunday, January 13, 2013

a try at hunting

Deer season is over, but I still wanted to try hunting. My cousin, the great sport he is, arranged for me to join him hunting for squirrel, rabbit, or fox.

I left the house while it was still complete darkness at 6:00am. Upon arrival at my cousin's at 7, it was lighter but very foggy. He had all his gear packed in his car, and we took a quick 15 minute drive to the woods where he normally goes hunting. He gave me a camouflage hat, gloves and fleece, and I was wearing jeans and winter boots. I was told if we were hunting deer - I would be glowing wearing the jeans since they see in the violet end of the spectrum...but thank goodness I have no idea what squirrel sees...and since I walk past so many everyday, I can't imagine my jeans bothered them.

It was a slow and quiet morning. There was very little movement in the woods. I was given a brief lesson on the rifle, loading it, and looking through the viewfinder thing. I also had a quick lesson on tracking, the different kinds of poop we saw, and different noises.

I was excited. I was ready. We finally saw a squirrel. I pick up my rifle and looked through the view thing...and lost the squirrel. Cousin found it a little later, it went up a tree. He told me to shoot at it, but I was nervous to shoot up into the air, if I missed, by bullet would have went a mile...and who knew where that mile would be...the road? a back yard? so I didn't want to risk it. Cousin, with a lot more experience and a different kind of gun, got into place, aimed, and the squirrel fell out of the tree. I was so happy I was jumping up and down and high-fived cousin!

We waited a few minutes before we went over to collect it, to give it a moment to die in peace.

Cousin let me hold the squirrel at times during the rest of our morning. We were hoping to catch about 10 or so...but as I said, it was a very quiet morning. I see more squirrels walking to my car in the driveway each morning than I did in the woods. We saw all of three squirrels, and the others were too far away to shoot.

At the end of the adventure, I was happy I didn't kill anything, because I watched my cousin skin and gut the squirrel. I had a bit of an anatomy lesson and gained a new respect for hunters. It has been about 15 years since I dissected anything...and this was a good reminder.

I had a really good time, and I told cousin I would definitely go with him again if he ever wanted company...even if it is just to watch, because next time, if I make a kill...I have to gut it :(

On our way out of the woods, we saw a bald eagle. all in all, a great experience.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Resolution Roulette

This year for a family holiday party with my favorite family ever, I decided we were going to try a resolution roulette.

Essentially everyone wrote challenges down on paper - nothing too hard, we wanted this to be fun. People started to bitch about having to do something they didn't want or worry they were going to get something horrible, or not think of a challenge to put in the box (good thing I wrote down 12!) We folded up the papers, threw them in a box, and a few hours later when we served dessert we started picking out of the box. Adults selected one, the kids selected one, then the adults picked a second one.

Here are the items that were listed:

Take something negative out of your life.
Do 35 push-ups
Watch 5 AFI movies that you have not yet seen. Let us know what you watched and if you think it deserves to be on the best 100 list. (Denise will send list)
Clean someone else’s car 2 times this year
Do the Macarena in public & post video to Facebook
Try a new food every month. Document the new foods and let us know what you tried and if you liked it.
To be in shape
Do 40 hours of volunteer work
Play in the snow, jump in puddles, walk in the rain, and jump in leaves. Take pictures or post videos
Write 6 letters to congress (every other month). Must be a different topic each time. Let us know what topics you took a stand for.
Memorize a poem and recite it at your next party
Learn a new talent and demonstrate it to everyone at the next holiday party.
Perform 13 acts of random kindness. Write down what you do to share with us.
Choreograph a dance and perform it on your birthday in front of family. Post video on Facebook
Perform 2 pay it forwards. Let us know what you did
Cook one new dish each month. Let us know what you made, if it was good, etc.
Reorganize clothes closet by color and donate clothes to charity.
Play a prank on someone once a month. Tell us what you did.
Go on 3 dates this year
Do something nice once a day
Get a pedicure
Learn to count to 10 in 5 languages. Count for us at the next holiday party.
Hike a mountain. Take a picture from the summit.
Have lunch with Nancy
Get rid of 1 thing a week for a year
Learn how to do the butterfly stroke
Read one book a month. Share with us the author and title.
To eat healthy
Grow a garden with minimum of 5 items
Sleep in to 9:30 at least once every third month
Root for a team you despise for a whole game season: The New England Patriots
Go hiking once a month
Buy an indoor plant and keep it alive all year long
Go to the movies at least once a month
Create a vision board
Have a monthly night (between the two families)
Do 12 hours of charitable work
Do a good deed for a stranger
Try a different food
Try 5 new foods this year
Do not shave for 3 months
Keep my car clean

Once people started picking we had a lot of laughs. Everyone seemed to really like this idea, and afterwards came up with so many more challenge ideas. There will be penalties for those that do not meet their challenge by our next winter holiday party and during the year we'll talk about this as people start completing their challenges.

Monday, December 31, 2012

2013 Wishes & Dreams

Last year I posted about my wishes and dreams for 2012.

These are my 2012 goals:

pay down credit card debt
start to use cash more regularly
volunteer
find a new job
save a little more money
make new friends
date. become more secure in my body & how it works
lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels
cook more often
take a vacation
some fun activities including: book signing, berry picking, opera, etc.
freshen style
move/plan to move

Let's see what I did: Yes, I paid down my credit card debt and used cash much more often. I found and started a new job, a saved a smidgen of money, I partook in some fun activities (fire walking, camping, rope course), and I freshened my style sort of - I cleaned out my closet and donated about 10 bags of clothes and I spent a bunch of money on new clothes....still not super happy.

I did not volunteer, make new friends, take a vacation or move. I also never went for my free physical so I am not sure about my cholesterol levels. The dating thing is tricky, not sure how to answer that, although I did go on about 5 dates with new people this year.

I am ok with these results (considering I forgot to look at this post throughout the year); about 50% because the big stressful ones were taken care of, it was a decent year.

But 2013 has to be better.

My 2013 goals:

Whenever I say "I never..." write it down, and by the end of the year try about 60% of what I never did before.
Be more spontaneous
Be in the moment more...enjoy the time when there, and stop trying to look past that time. Enjoy the person I am with, as I might never see them again. And if I don't want to be somewhere, well, suck it up and ENJOY it anyway.
Move
Spend less money on clothes than I did this year
Try 10 new foods
Spend less time on Facebook
Get my photo taken in 5 interesting places

I also have a holiday party next week where we'll do a resolution roulette. Everyone will write down 1-2 fun resolutions and we'll put them in a hat and pick one. Next year we'll see who actually did it.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Lifestyle Board

Back in October my book club decided we were going to make lifestyle boards. The first quadrant (top right) is career and ambition, the second is family and entertainment, the third is travel & leisure and the fourth quadrant is nostalgia.

Essentially you are selecting pictures that represent items in the categories (example: I might have a skyline of NYC but it might represent a large city or certain games - but it represents any board games, not necessarily one or two of them).

When we started out I thought the hardest quadrant would have been nostalgia, but I was wrong, the hardest part for me was my career & ambition. I really don't know what I want to do, sure I want to volunteer more, but what else? I struggled with this for months. The easiest quadrant for me was travel & leisure, and I still didn't have enough room.

This exercise was fun and really made me think. I recommend that you make one too.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

30 things to do and not do for yourself

I came across these two articles and I just had to share them. I see a life coach once a month to work on my goals, and I really enjoy it. However I feel like I have been on a standstill forever. I want change but I have not done anything to get there. When I read the article it helped remind me of the much needed change I am craving and other reminders about living a better life.

The first article is 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself. I am just going to highlight some of his 'things' and how it relates to me.

Stop spending time with the wrong people. - This is actually part of my 30 goals for my 30s. Get rid of toxic relationships. The wrong people bring you down and add un-needed stress.
Stop running from your problems. – That is all I have been doing for the last 5 years. The good thing is I am not in denial anymore. Now is the time to start fixing them.
Stop lying to yourself. – Again, I pretend to be in denial, I hope things will get better...but until I stop lying to myself, I won't be happy.
Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – I don't have a family of my own yet, so I know this isn't out of control, but I do have instances where I put others above me and I need to remember that I deserve to be happy and fulfilled too.
Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – I am happy to report I think I have this under control :)
Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one. I was finally able to let go of my past with SI and I really hope that soon things will start falling into place.
Stop being scared to make a mistake. – I am very scared of leaping into what I want to do for fear it is the wrong choice, or that it won't work out. I have to just trust my gut and hope that it does...and what is the worst thing that will happen if it doesn't? I'll figure it out.
Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – Yes, I hold on to things I've done wrong...I want to learn from them so maybe I won't make them again, but instead I tend to beat myself up over them.
Stop trying to buy happiness. – I think my credit card company will attest that I spend more than I should. The good news is that this was my goal for this year.
Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – Funny, I just posted about this. I do look to others for happiness since I am having trouble finding it on my own. However, I know logically that I am responsible for my own happiness. The author of the article tells us that we have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else - I need stability, I haven't had that in years.
Stop being idle. – I over think. It is what I do because I have way too much free time. I also can't get to where I want to be if I only dream about it and not take action. I need to work on this quick!
Stop thinking you’re not ready. – More reiteration here. I am not ready for the changes I want, but I am not happy with where I am. I have to take that leap out of my comfort zone.
Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – I think I am mostly OK here, see I was too scared to jump into a relationship after SI, so I haven't. Not one in the last 5+ years. It is sad, but I know I needed time to heal, and I did. I am probably going to be very hesitant with any new relationship because I will NEVER go through something so horrible again. It isn't worth it.
Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – I am guilty of this. I don't let guys get to far; I rule them out too soon.
Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Not regularly, but on occasion I look at someone and want what they have. I am certainly not trying to compete with them.
Stop being jealous of others. – I do get jealous of what other people have. My 'friends' who are married, have children, travel a lot, etc. I wonder how they got so lucky to succeed in all the areas I fail at. But once in a while, I try to think of what they think of me...I am the non-attached one. I am getting sleep at night and not fighting with a husband or dealing with contractors. I am more 'carefree' in their eyes. And while I don't think it is anything to be jealous of, they do. The grass is always greener on the other side right?
Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – I need to do this. I do feel sorry for myself and my life is being wasted. I need to remember that things happen for a reason and someday I will look back and laugh.
Stop holding grudges. – This is important and I want to say that I tackled this last year. Once I forgave SI, I was able to be a little happier. I met up with an old friend and we had a small pointless talk, but I did it. I accepted her invitation instead of holding my grudge out. It didn't affect anything, but it made me less stressful. I wrote two blogs on forgiveness - it really is so important.
Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – I need to refuse to lower my standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs. I tend to do this at work, and it really bothers me.
Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – This is something I have really started to hate in the last few years, why should I have to explain myself? So I don't say anything to anyone.
Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – good advice.
Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – My life coach and I tried to focus on this last year, I can't say I've mastered it yet.
Stop trying to make things perfect. – I gave up on perfect 5+ years ago.
Stop following the path of least resistance. – All I have been doing for the last 5 years is taking the easy way out and doing what I am comfortable with...I need to change that.
Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – On the outside sometimes I appear more put together than I am. Inside and with those that know me very well, it is obvious I am not OK. I cry a bit still, I am a little moody, and quiet. It is what it is. I'll be happy eventually, maybe.
Stop blaming others for your troubles. – I need to take responsibility for my life. I used to blame people, but I realized they were there for me to learn from. Sure because of them my life didn't go as I had hoped, but I am the one that needs to fix it. I can't rely on other people and I can't expect the person who wronged me to even know how badly they hurt me.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – good advice. I don't seem to have a problem in this area yet. I like to help people when I can.
Stop worrying so much. – Worrying runs in my family. I hope I don't become a worrier.
Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – I am a bit of a pessimist. I think about the wrong side of things. For instance, moving...I am more consumed with location, meeting people, job, salary, missing my family, etc. I don't focus on how wonderful it might be.
Stop being ungrateful. – Even though I am miserable, I know I have it better than other people.

And then he followed up that blog post with 30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself which is a more positive spin on life, but a bit repetitive from the list above. Again, I'll list the 30 things and relate them to me.

Start spending time with the right people. – I need to find the right people first, but I will cherish them once I have them.
Start facing your problems head on. – Time to stop procrastinating.
Start being honest with yourself about everything. – I can't improve my life if I am lying with what would make me happy.
Start making your own happiness a priority. – I got a life coach, I know I need to do this. I am not doing enough, but I am working on it.
Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – On my goals for my 30s. To accept myself for who I am.
Start noticing and living in the present. – All I think about is how I am wasting my life. I am looking towards the future when I might be happy and I am missing out on the right now.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – It is hard to value the lessons until they are not fresh anymore.
Start being more polite to yourself.
Start enjoying the things you already have. – I find this hard, I am miserable with so many aspects of my life, that I can't enjoy what I have.
Start creating your own happiness. – This I find to be extraordinarily hard. How do I find happiness? I usually think that once I have the life I want (husband, child/ren, etc) that I will be happy, but I can't rely on them for that. I don't know how to achieve this, goodness knows I've been working on it for two years.
Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance. – It's about taking a chance...I know this needs to be done, I've been pushing it away for too long. I took my first gamble end of last year with renting my apartment...but now it is time for the next one.
Start believing that you’re ready for the next step. – I haven't been doing this. But I need to take Thomas the Tank Engine's advice, 'I think I can, I think I can'.
Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. –
Start giving new people you meet a chance. – I am trying. I am.
Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Oh the 22 year old me was pretty awesome. I had a lot of things going for me, but I lost my way. I need to get back to that state of mind where I can get anything I want and go after it.
Start cheering for other people’s victories. – I do this all the time.
Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations. – Lately I have been trying to find the reason behind bad things.
Start forgiving yourself and others. – Again, very very important. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.
Start helping those around you. – Way too much, in my opinion.
Start listening to your own inner voice. – Eh, I am not sure if I trust myself, which is why I haven't made changes.
Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks. –
Start noticing the beauty of small moments. – Yes small things are good for overall happiness.
Start accepting things when they are less than perfect. – I am definitely not as type A about certain things anymore. I've learned to take things with a grain of salt and deal with it.
Start working toward your goals every single day. – My goals are big and I can't work on it everyday (which is why I haven't made progress), but I need to take smaller steps at a time and tackle it little by litte.
Start being more open about how you feel. – It is hard to talk about sadness with other people.
Start taking full accountability for your own life.
Start actively nurturing your most important relationships.
Start concentrating on the things you can control. –
Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes. – Think positive.
Start noticing how wealthy you are right now.

So that is how those things relate to me. When you read the article or the synopsis above, was your mind turning and realizing things that you need to do also?

I hope to check out Marc's blog. I do not know him, but after stumbling upon it with these articles, I read a few more and there is some great advice out there about bettering ourselves. I hope you find it a little helpful.

Pages