Resolutions - Not Just for New Years Eve

Hi, everyone! Sorry it has been awhile, law school and all has become insane. I thought my schedule last year was demanding - but 13 hr days are the norm now, not the exception. This has led to a pretty cranky sorority girl; one that has not spent much time on herself lately. After realizing that my self-esteem, body, and mental state took a beating by my total lack of prioritizing myself - I knew it was time for a change.

But writing a blog post on resolutions in January is just too generic for my style. Making a lofty goal just because it is the 1st of the year is only setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. Every day is an opportunity to set and achieve goals, and as they say there is no better time than the present.

Therefore, I now officially announce and declare (redundant, I know) my current personal goals. It is about time I make myself a priority - and that is going to involve some serious reorganizing of my schedule. I am hoping that announcing it here will hold me accountable. (At least to all 5 of you who follow me, haha.)

So here goes nothing. .. My personal goals for the next year:
1. Learn to run. I am sure I could haul ass if it meant running away from an attacker, but I want to learn how to run more than a couple of blocks before giving up. My goal is to run a 5k this summer/fall. In order to accomplish this I am going to use the "Couch to 5k Plan". [Thanks Monica (my running guru) for the info!] As a second part of this goal, I would like to learn to love running. Right now, I would basically choose anything else over running - walking over hot coals, arguing in court, going bathing suit shopping, etc. But I hope over this next year I learn to truly enjoy this exercise, and it becomes a way of life.

2. Read all of Jane Austen's Books. Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite books - but I have never really had an opportunity to read the rest of Austen. Right now I am in the middle of Sense & Sensibility and I think finishing out the other books - Mansfield Park, Northanger Abby, Mansfield Park, Emma - is a doable goal. I also think there is something inherently beneficial to reading a classic book such as Austen, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Etc.

3. Pay off all my credit card bills. I am going to be in enough debt once I graduate that it is finally time to pay off all my credit cards. Right now, that isn't really feasible - but once the summer comes and I am working full time it is a reasonable goal. Most of what is on them is school expenses anyway. And anyway, financial responsibility is a value my sorority expects of its members.

4. Become comfortable in my own skin. As I said earlier, my self esteem has absolutely taken a few blows lately and to say it is at rock bottom is not an exaggeration. It is so important that you can love yourself for who you are - not who you will be once you lose some weight/become a blonde/etc. This is probably going to be one the hardest of my goals - besides running of course - but I think it is one that is a necessity. To accomplish this I am going to try positive affirmations and refusing to say anything negative about my body aloud. I am even going to try and restrict the negative comments I say to myself.

5. Reorganize my surroundings. Although I am the queen of "to-do" lists, organized binders, and keeping my calendar up-to-date, I usually let my surroundings get disorganized when I'm busy. And by disorganized, I mean it looks like a clothes bomb exploded in my room and a shoe bomb in my closet. Keeping my environment clean and organized will probably help with my anxiety and stress relief.

6. Be a nicer, calmer person. I am definitely guilty of letting my anxiety and stress get to me - and when this happens I tend to take it out on my loved ones. However, it is unfair for me to treat them this way and to let my anxiety dictate my life. My general life style changes should help with this, but I think a key component to accomplishing this goal is self-correcting once I realize that I am starting to freak.

7. Go on vacation. I SO deserve one. And, once I pay off my credit cards and save for a bit, I can SO afford one. This will be the first real vacation that I pay for, the first real one in years, and I am looking forward to taking an adult step like this. I am also looking forward to laying on a beach with white sand and water so clear you can see the ocean floor next to the love of my life, with a tropic drink in my hand. That thought may just get me through this year!

8. Up my sauna sessions. My parents bought a sauna this fall, but I have been seriously delinquent in its use. It has such amazing health benefits [they say online it cures everything from eczema to back problems, and it burns as many calories as running] that it truly is a waste not to use it more. Now, to say I will go in everyday for 45 minutes is clearly unreasonable, but I am going to try and manage at least 3 sessions a week. And I am going to use my time in there to read Austen!

9. Eat healthier. Red wine, egg whites, organic vegetables, whole grains, 5 fruits & veggies a day, 8 glasses of water a day, less caffeine, more green tea. These are all simple things that would make a huge impact in my diet. Obviously, I will never be a size 2. But being healthy is so important, and I don't want to have serious health issues down the line because I have an issue with portion control and will power.

10. Document everything. I want to take more pictures, frame my favorites, keep a diary, and post here more often. And I want to keep track of how I am doing with all of these goals - when I stumble and when I succeed.

What are some of your goals for the year?