End-Of-Year Goals

It's almost 2013.


I feel like I should do something-make a calendar, a promise, some kind of pledge; but lets be honest. I'm not exactly Captain Follow-Through (I TOTALLY just figured out next years halloween costume).

I'm not what people might call a self-motivating person. I honestly don't know what truly motivates me. Every form of motivation has worked for about a week at a time. But they all fail.

Observe: Guilt just makes me lie or avoid people, negative reinforcement sends me into a really self-depricating shame spiral, and 'fooling' myself just ends in a complex argument with myself that inevitably ends with marshmallows.

Basically the only thing that works for more than a week is consistent waves of positive reinforcement. The key is it cant come from me. When I say "go team this guy!" I feel (and sound) kind of like an idiot. And no one has the time to follow me around telling me how fantastic I am. I'm not Brad Pitt.




Unless you all have something very important to tell me...






Anyways, I'm bring this up now because, as you may have noticed, its November now- almost December, really. Seeing the leaves change and the weather crisp up makes me think about wrapping things up and new beginnings and all that. And that 2012 is almost over and i better have something to show for it. So I've been thinking about some goals- not overly large ones, but smaller, meatier goals. Goals that can be stepping stones to broader life goals or habits. So here's my little list of things I'd like to do before the end of 2012.



1. Do more yoga. There was a time when I did yoga every day for an hour. It was hard, but it was fantastic. I was a human rubber band, and calmer than I've been maybe ever. I had never been able to clear my head the way they say you're supposed to in meditation and before you go to bed. Somehow though, that year it clicked. For that hour, either my mind would quiet down or it would get so foggy and full of thoughts they would meld into a white noise; either way I felt quiet. Every class I left feeling centered. I miss that. I think that doing just 10 minutes of yoga a day- just yoga, in the quiet with just me- would be nice.

2. Go to the gym at least twice a week. I'm not an active person. I've tries to be a few Ike's but it always ends with me on the couch. I don't enjoy exercising. In fact, I kind of hate it. It frustrates me that the rewards are so hard to achieve; you don't get a six pack and loose 10 pounds in a week. The combination of this and the fact that it's hard and boarding make it really easy to just... Not. But I know I feel so much better when I do get off my butt, and the health benefits are undeniable. So instead of jumping into a big workout plan I will inevitably not be able to keep up with, I'm setting a simple, no-guilt goal: go work out twice a week. With any luck, it'll become a seamless part of my life. Like TV or mascara. But better for me.

3. Eat only vegetables twice a week. I love vegetables, So this one won't be hard. It's just so easy to get in the habit of eating far too much meat and starch and carny goodness this time of year. So going veggie twice a week seems like a good way to break it up and,ale sure I'm not falling into the meat trap and stay feeling vibrant even in February.

4. Moisturize. A lot. I get so dry and crispy feeling this time of year. So I want to take the time to coat myself in lotions and potions. I always feel so lavish and soothed after I just put on some lotion. I have some nice, rich creamy ones that I don't use enough and, well, what time like the present?

5. Take more pictures. I always love looking at photos- two of my most precious possessions are photo albums, one from my parents and one from my grandparents. They're filled with baby pictures and little snapshots. Looking at these reminds me that pictures are so much more than posing for Facebook or composing a flattering angle. But it's more than that- we have several albums in my house filled with pictures from our adventures when we lived in London and traveled around Italy and France. But instead of pictures of the Eiffel tower or the colosseum (which we totally have don't you worry,) these albums are filled with doorknobs, manholes, graffiti, tiles, street signs, hinges, all sorts of little details my parents knew we would never see the likes of anywhere else. It's those details that make exploring so invigorating. Don't get me wrong, I love to see the sights and bask in the big history, but those weird small things are what make your journey so special and your own. I want to remember those little things better and I think this might be a good way to start.

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