New Years Goals (because resolutions are for suckers)

A few years ago, I resolved to stop making New Years resolutions once and for all.  Instead, I decided I was going to set goals for myself.  None of this "I'm going to do this, this, and this in this arbitrary time frame" business that most people do as the calendar year nears its end.  Instead, I was going to set healthy goals that I could work on over time.  Some might be achieved easily and in a short time period while others might be a lifelong process marked with moments of success but never a distinct completion.  I allowed myself to set new goals throughout the course of the year; they didn't all have to be decided on December 31 or January 1 and they certainly did not need to come to fruition by the following December 31st.  This method has not only been successful but incredibly rewarding.

For 2011 I decided I was going to: stay positive, start & finish a 365 photo project on facebook and tumblr, eat better/stress less/exercise more (encompassed under "get healthy"), indulge in creative projects, budget my time and money better, and bake and cook more.

My 365 is complete and I'm working on another, a 366, for this Leap Year.  I've held craft nights at my apartment and worked on solo endeavors.  I've tried out more new recipes than I can remember.  My eating & exercising has been a rollercoaster of good and bad which I intend to devote more attention to this year.  My level of stress, despite some pretty rough times, is something I have been able to keep in check better than I have in the past.  And, as for staying positive, I give myself a solid A in that department.  My bank account is growing.  I tend to give more time to work than anything else and find myself slacking when I do actually have free time, so, that goal is definitely going to get revisited in 2012.

Last year I set all my goals out in my trusty notebook so I could look back at them any time I wanted to.  This year, I stumbled across another way to do it.  I was reading Apartment Therapy this morning where I found this post.  I thought the idea of turning your goals (or New Years Manifesto) into a creative, aesthetically pleasing work of art was fantastic.  And for someone who relies heavily on visual inspiration, I can't believe the idea had never crossed my mind before.  Since it's been an awfully slow day at work, I decided to whip up one of my own.

 

I used the poster to highlight my most important goals for the year.  The ones that I truly believe will make me feel better as I work to achieve them.  I left the self-critical ones off the list because, let's face it, the fact that I weigh the most I ever have will be nagging at me every time I look in a mirror.  I don't need "lose weight" staring me in the face on this, too.  Besides, the "lose weight" ties into the "get healthy" goal from 2011, which I am still plugging away at.  For the rest of 2012, this 11"x17" piece of paper will inspire me every time I exit my bedroom.  It will remind me of what I want to be and motivate me to attain it.

2011 provided me with some of the best moments of my life, as well as some of the worst.  I'm ready to move forward into a new year with new aspirations.  I wish you all the best of luck with your own goals (or resolutions, if you must).