It's a new year! After a very low key New Years Eve spent watching The Vampire Diaries with one of my closest friends and way too much food, I welcomed 2015 with Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve and a glass of sparkling wine. My new year began in a completely different way as 2014 began and it just felt right.
The promise of a new year always excites me. For certain reasons I'm not a big fan of resolutions, but I do love setting goals. Maybe most people see those being the same thing but I don't. Although I love setting goals all year round and don't find it necessary to wait until the start of a year to change parts of my life, I do find it prime time for assessments. So much can happen and change in a years time. 2014 wasn't a jam packed year for me, but looking back did reveal more than I expected. I look forward to seeing what 2015 holds.
I'm sure if I looked back at my goals for 2014, this list would have some overlaps. This is what I like about goals instead of resolutions. Goals do not have to be reached in a certain amount of time. They can be larger, less specific ideas you wish to fulfill. Goals focus more on achievements rather than being negative about the life you're currently living. Goals can be anything you want them to be, endless possibilities.
Nail down a career direction and specific steps to help get me there
Make more friends and talk to people more often
Be nicer
Make more money (make it happen!)
Be active every day
Stop worrying about so much of my life and let it happen
Enjoy nature, explore, marvel in it
Push myself to create
Make more to-do lists (and stick to them)
Blog at least once a week
Photograph more, maybe partner with someone to find a way to develop skills
Find a mentor (possibly a life coach?)
Write in my journal more often
Don't watch or read anything I'm not feeling invested or interested in
Focus on one thing at a time, don't interrupt the task at hand to start something new (at least when it comes to personal time. For example reading part of a page and then stopping to start a TV show and then stopping after 10 minutes to watch a Youtube video. This has seriously gotten to be my worst habit.)
Hopefully this list of goals will help guide me through next year in a positive and healthy way. When I'm feeling out of sorts I can always come back here to get myself back on track. Happy 2015!!
Are you a resolution and/or goal maker? What was on your list this year?
Hey guys! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend with their family and friends.
Last week was a good week for me in terms of getting stuff done. I got to see one of my best friends on Tuesday while she was in town visiting family. On Wednesday I was able to go to the library and get a few things done there. Thursday I helped my grandpa with some of his Spring cleaning. Lastly, on Friday I managed to go for a run and bake cookies for my family. The run was much more successful than the last one and I could tell that taping my foot/shin made a huge difference. Now I can't wait to keep testing the waters and get into some sort of schedule (if only the weather would cooperate).
Sometimes I think it's funny what I consider "getting stuff done" now compared to years past, but I'm always proud of myself if I do anything besides sit around and watch TV. It's so tempting and easy to let yourself do nothing when there's nothing required of you (even though getting a job is a general all-encompassing goal/requirement). I have all the time in the world now and it's been harder than ever to actually get anything accomplished.
Life is always day by day and step by step. As much as I would like a fast forward button to take me to the future when I have a dependable job, am living out of my parent's house, and I'm in a serious relationship, no such thing exists. Besides, there's a lot to learn from taking the stairs not the elevator.
I've been a material girl ever since I was little (cue Madonna song). As a child I used to beg my parents for every accessory every made to add to my collection of American Girl dolls. I always wanted more Barbies, more clothes, more sparkly items from the Disney store. From a young age I perceived a large value in owning things. Whether I owned the same toys as my friends, clothes with the popular tags on them, or something better than anyone else, I was always wanted more.
Material things will never satisfy you. Our society has ingrained us to be competitive consumers. People want to maintain a certain status by owning "the best" labels, myself included. A few years ago my computer broke and I finally bought a Macbook. Do I think Apple products are overpriced? Yes, you pay more for the label (like I said it's all about status), but I also think their products are higher quality. Don't get me wrong, my Macbook ownership hasn't been smooth sailing. I've had problems with my charger and my battery, but I'm convinced it's just some unlucky technological curse. No one else I've talked to has ever had those types of problems. Plus despite all of these mishaps, this laptop has still served me better than my old Gateway by far.
Due to the way we've built society, products aren't made the same way they used to be. Companies are now making products that intentionally break down or eventually become "unfashionable" so consumers are forced to buy a new one, this is called planned obsolescence. Think DVD's vs. VHS tapes, or the iPhone 4 vs. the iPhone 5. People always want the next best thing, or eventually they're forced into getting it.
All the generations of iPhones. They look much more similar than I was expecting.
I'm not going to argue that we need to change the way product manufacturing and consumer consumption take place. Those are big broad topics and there's no simple solution to changing the way the world works. I do however want to change the way I act as a consumer. Recently I've been struggling with my desire for material things, my need to save money for loan payments and traveling, and my lack of income. I was browsing the interwebs for Fall clothes the other day and saw a sale at American Eagle. Immediately I thought, "Oh I can buy some new jeans, possibly a dress." Then right afterwards I looked in my closet to realize I already had five perfectly respectable pairs of jeans. There's no way I actually need five pairs of jeans, let alone to purchase another pair with my limited savings.
I'm sick of spending money on clothes or products and feeling guilty about it later on. If clothes are what you take pleasure in most, by all means spend your money accordingly. I'm not writing this in order to shun fashionable people or regular consumers, these are just habits I would like to change in my life. From now on I want to limit my spending to things I will get the most use out of. I also want to be a smart shopper when it comes to quality over quantity. Too many of my jeans have gotten holes in the crotch or the threads have come loose on the edges of my shirts. Why pay $100 for two pairs of jeans that are going to last me a little over a year (maybe), when I could buy one pair of jeans for the same price that will last much longer. This will lead to less clutter as well.
Another habit I want to work on is how much I value owning things. The truth seems to be that no person ever felt fulfilled by owning the most, or the best, that life could offer. In other words, human value does not come from material things. Experience, conversation, friendship, love, that's what gives life value. From now on I will try to share my belongings. I will let my mom use my coffee mugs without complaint. I will try not to get upset over stains, tears, or dents. I will try my best to understand that it's all just stuff that can be replaced. I don't expect to never buy another cheap shirt or spend money when I probably shouldn't, but I'll try my best to remember this post and think twice before buying something I think I "need."
What are your thoughts on consumerism and the value we perceive in material things? Are you a material person? Are their any habits you'd like to change when it comes to the topic?
Get a job - I was trying, but then I got so discouraged I sort of gave up during most of July. I was so down about not having a job that I stopped trying all together. The pity party is now over and it's time to get back to business. My number one priority for this month is to get a job... any job.
Get back into yoga - I'm going to try to take at least one class a week for the month of August. I have classes to use up and it's about time I get back into the studio. Plus I just miss actually doing yoga with other people. I practice at home from time to time, but being in a class and having someone lead you can be a lot more relaxing... or challenging depending on the class.
Make one piece of art per week - I do not make enough art. Whether it's a drawing or a painting or some sort of collage, I will attempt to make one piece per week. The only way to get better at something is to practice.
Finish all three books I am currently reading - I started three different books near the end of July and haven't gotten very far into any one of them yet. The Ocean at The End of The Lane and The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy are both shorter books and I expect it won't take me long to finish either stories. My third book is Angels and Demons, which is 569 pages long and will probably take me a good while to finish.
Meditate for 5 minutes every day - One of my goals a while back was to meditate a little bit each day. I even have an alert set for it on my computer that I am constantly ignoring. I thought 5 minutes would be a good time to begin.
Volunteer somewhere - I never volunteer to do anything and I'd really love to change that. I might try to volunteer one of the days at The State Theater since I absolutely love it there.
Hopefully I can manage all of these resolutions this month. Looking at the list now, there seems to be a lot to do. Just giving myself a reason to get off the couch and keep moving forward.
Do you make monthly resolutions? What would you like to change this month?
-S
So I'm home (been home since Thursday night) and this weekend was marvelous. I got to see a very large portion of my family and I love the holidays.
We had the Kloosterman Christmas Saturday, which basically involves way too much food and a whole lotta people.... oh, and of course some presents. I'm so grateful I can spend time with the people I love, with a full belly and the cozy comforts of home. These are luxuries my family is lucky enough to have this holiday season, unlike too many others.
Today involved watching my grandmother play piano and organ :) She is wonderful and it always makes me wish I had learned as a child. I had so many friends who were forced to take lessons. The rest of the day included more time with the family and finishing up reading "The Help." Seriously, if you haven't read this book yet I would definitely recommend adding it to your book list.
I am going to say something ambitious right now: as of now, my goal is to read 50 books during the 2012 year. Maybe that doesn't sound like a whole lot to some people, but to me it's quite a stretch. I have college classes, hopefully I will have a job next semester, and I don't think I have ever read even one book a month let alone 4. I think I'm going to revise my book list of ones to choose from. I'm always coming up with more books I want to read, but I have so many books on my shelves already that I still have yet to crack open. I feel so behind in the book market now.
