Pay It Forward (Also, The Reason I Won't Make Resolutions Anymore)

Welcome to 2015, everybody!

This year, if you've read the title, I've decided not to make a resolution.  As I was driving home from work this afternoon, I was thinking about all of the resolutions I've made over the past years (lose weight, read more, etc.) and how I've always seemed to fail to keep up with them.  This year, I've decided not to set myself up to fail, because I'm almost positive that I will fall short of whatever huge plans I make.  It sounds pessimistic, however, it's been a habit of mine to overshoot and over-plan and then feel bad about not meeting those sometimes difficult goals.

So, instead of making resolutions, I have decided to take part in the Pay It Forward initiative and give to people in hopes of inspiring them to do the same for others.  My friend, Hillary, on Facebook posted this idea and the way to get involved on her page and I couldn't think of any reason not to join.

In addition to the Pay It Forward goal, I've decided to set small goals for myself to strive for this year.  I've signed up for a gym membership back in November, did really well for about three weeks, then stopped going.  I'm hoping to make it to the gym at least once a week this year, which is totally doable, and I'm hoping to stay motivated and maybe increase that number once it starts to warm up and I'm not so sleepy anymore.

Goal #2 is always to read more, because I read a few books last year, but nowhere near what I would like to be.  It's hard when life gets so busy, but I'm hoping I can fit it in somewhere.  I just need to make a list of a few books that I'm 100% interested in so I can stay motivated to finish a book in less than three months time.

Other than that, I have some bigger things I hope to get to this year, like going back to school, planning some bigger life changes, but those kind of things are being taken in stride and are kind of being played by ear at this point.  We'll see how it goes!

Do you have any goals or resolutions for this year?  Let me know if you're taking part in paying it forward this year, I'd love to see what ideas everyone has.

Just the Beginning..

Now, since I've already posted my goals for 2014, I was thinking of ways that I could try to keep them through the year and keep my motivation up.

Goal 1 is to keep a blog schedule.  So far, I've been able to block out certain days for certain blog posts for the entire year, which I listed in this post. Hopefully, I can keep up the motivation because I've made my life pretty easy by writing out a schedule so that there's almost no reason not to stick with it.

Goal 2 is to stop eating like crap all the time.  As someone who loves baking and has hopes of owning a bakery some day, this one seems to be a bit harder for me.  I have a motivation board on Pinterest that I've been neglecting for...months.  I've somehow lost seven pounds since Christmas, which surprised me, but maybe whatever I've been doing will help keep it on track.

Goal 3 is to start jogging again.  I've been trying to make myself go out for a walk, even just a short one, daily for the last week.  When it starts getting a little warmer out, I think it will actually be pretty nice to start jogging again because the wind in Oklahoma kills any motivation to run when it's cold.  The base has running trails all over the place, so it won't be hard to find ways to keep it interesting by finding new paths.

Goal 4: Budget.  Now, this year is going to be a trying time for my finances, just like last year was.  I can't start budgeting too early because I honestly don't know what kind of job I'm going to have in the next few weeks, what kind of car payment I'll end up with in the next few months, or where I'll be living by the summer.  I'm just hoping I can find a way to save a little more than I spend for once and maybe make it out of the year with more than $13 to spare.

Goal 5 is probably going to be the easiest for me because of a prior post (which can be found here).  This is the list of books I want to read before the end of 2014.  There are 13 books on this list, and I'm currently finishing up a David Sedaris book (Let's Discuss Diabetes with Owls) right now.  When I finish my current book, I have Paper Towns by John Green on standby that I got from my sister for Christmas.  I'm so excited to start reading all of these books, and I will probably end up buying most of them on Amazon in the next wee or so, so that I have no excuses not to read them later on when I finish others.

If you have any suggestions on keeping goals through the year, let me know, and leave a comment with your goals for the year, if you have any!  Happy New Year!

Looking Back on 2013

I can't believe that 2013 is just over a week away from ending.  This year went by so quickly and I'm both happy and sad to see it end.  2013 was one of the most interesting and difficult years of my life and I wanted to kind of recap everything that's happened through the year and how I've tried to stick with the goals I made at the end of last year.

I went to a casino for the first time!

And made some amazing cupcakes.  Still keeping the bakery dream alive.

I bought a new car, which I ended up leaving in Connecticut when I moved.

I got a puppy, who is now living with a very nice family that has a few other dogs for him to play with in a huge yard.

My little brother graduated high school!

My older sister got married and is now expecting her first baby in February!  I'm so excited to be an auntie.

Over the course of 2013, I've had five different jobs... Which is a scary thought with tax season coming up.

My youngest sister and I went on a date for her birthday (with her boyfriend and our mom in tow) and had a really fun trip to the zoo and the beach.

I went to an apple orchard for the first time this fall, even though I've lived a half an hour away from one my entire life.

I also made some questionable fashion choices (I still regret not buying this some days).

I went to New York City for a Makeup For Ever special effects class, which was so much fun to do.  I love New York.

And closer to the end of the year, a lot of things started to fall apart one way or another.  I'm in Oklahoma now for an undetermined amount of time.  I left 90% of my life in Connecticut, and yes it's insanely upsetting, but I've been trying to make the best of it that I can.  Don't get me wrong, I love being with my sister and brother in law, but I do miss driving and having a car.  I miss knowing where I am.  However, I have made some friends here so it makes it a little less hard to be so far away from everything I know so well.

(If you'd like to see my original list, this post is where I originally posted it)

Goal 1: Keep better track of money (possibly save some..)

~This was a huge..huge fail on my part.  I'm still broke, and have been all year.  To be fair, I moved twice this year and bought a car...

Goal 2: Get organized~This goal seemed to have gone a little better for me.  I'm still a messy person, and I'm sure I always will be, but I've bought a few organizers (and used them!) for the majority of the year, especially after moving out.


Goal 3: Get in (better) shape~Although I haven't actually worked out of gone on huge, crazy diets, I feel like I've definitely lost a little bit of weight.  Not a huge amount, but enough to make my face a little less round-shaped.


Goal 4: Manage my time more wisely~I've done alright with this one.. I won't say I've managed a total 180, but I've gotten better at not being late and managing to get things done when they need to be.  I slacked for a while over the summer, but who doesn't?


Goal 5: Eat as well as I can~Hahahaha. Well.. Kind of.  My older sister told me once that I'm like an old woman and I live off of coffee and baked goods, so I obviously don't eat the best I possibly can.  However, this year I've been eating a lot better for actual meals than I have in the past and I can honestly say I have Pinterest to thank for that because it makes healthy food look amazingly delicious.  And it is. 


Goal 6: Go back to school~This didn't happen... I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to go back to school for a while, but everything will work out someday.  If the whole hope and dream of owning a bakery works out, a degree isn't exactly necessary anyways, just helpful.  We'll see how this goes as time goes on.


Goal 7: Keep a jar of good things~I kind of half-assed this goal.  I started doing this in the end of March, I added a handful of handwritten notes of good things/events that happened into the the jar, then I moved and threw them out...and never started again.  Maybe I can try again this year?


Goal 8: Move out~I did this! Twice, to be honest.  I only really intended to go through it once, but circumstances come up.  Goal: accomplished.


Goal 9: Be positive~I've been trying very, very hard to stay positive this year.  These past few months, it's been a little harder to keep up with it, but I'm still trying.


Goal 10: Take a REAL vacation~Nope.


Goal 11: Keep my room clean~Also, nope.


Goal 12: Read more~Kind of.  I've read a couple of books this year, and I'm finishing up David Sedaris's Let's Discuss Diabetes with Owls. Amazing book.  This will continue to be a goal, and I have a list of hopefuls here.

I hope you've all had a safe holiday! Do you have any goals for 2014?  I have a list of my own coming up in a couple days, let me know what you plan to do through the new year!