2012 Goal: Be Here, Now

While the 2012 calendar is already fully loaded, I think next year, I'm going to focus on one single goal.

For 2011, the goals were scattered across the map. While I met them, and enjoyed getting there, it does feel sometimes like they work at cross-purposes.

If I accomplish everything that's already penciled in the calendar next year, I'll be having a great year. I'll be fit, I'll have nurtured my friendships and connections with family, well-traveled and well-rounded.

Because one cannot race at the Duathlon Nationals, get married, hike on the AT, throw a 40th birthday party, serve as Maid of Honor at a wedding, or do any of the other things on our list for 2012 without being fit, connected to family and friends and well-rounded. I'll need to do well at work to afford much of this, and meet or exceed my goals there. Brett will gain his paramedic certification, and his revised schedule will hopefully make accomplishing all of this easier on us as a family.

So, instead of focusing on the big huge To-Do's and the items so obviously taking up so much time on my calendar next year, I think I'm going to set a single goal for the year to come: Be Here, Now.

I think slowing down and actually savoring the moment of the here and now is the absolute most important thing I can do in the coming year. I will spend the year grateful for family and friends supporting us, and I will enjoy every minute of this wild ride of a year!

Looking back on 2011

A year ago, I said that 2011 was going to be a “mental yoga pose” kind of year, one of laying foundations while exploring more freedom. It became much more than that.

What couldn’t I have foreseen when I sent my New Year’s resolutions this year?
• Getting engaged
• Qualifying for Nationals
• Having my brain taken over by fiction

So, some of the resolutions I made this time last year fell a little off track in light of these things.

First, the foundation: paying off credit cards, living within my means and replacing windows and doors in the house.

I have paid off one of two credit cards, lived within my means and postponed the household projects so that I can save up toward the wedding next year.

Then, there were the physical goals: exercising, racing, improving my running speed, biking a century, and logging my food.

I completed the 4 dus and qualified for the National USAT Duathlon championships in the spring! I did work out, and though my 5K time is still not under 30 minutes, I’m actively working on it. I haven’t biked more than 50 miles at a go this year, but I’m okay with that, because I’ve been working on speed rather than endurance. The logging the food fell off the map when I realized I was using it to be unkind to myself.

The balance and freedom, the play that I was so looking forward to: I wanted to go on a real vacation with Brett, to hit the AT with Choir Girl, to see my friend Kara, my family, and throw a party.

The AT obviously happened, and was transformative and galvanizing in a lot of ways. Went on a weekend getaway camping with Brett, but thanks to his work schedule, both of the vacations we planned were kaput. I did get to spend time with Kara, but didn’t get to have a girls weekend with her. I did see my family this year. I didn’t throw a party, but I’m not too worried about that now that I’m planning for the biggest party I’m ever going to throw!

Creativity was the next set of goals. I wanted to make something beautiful and useful with my sewing machine, to finish my writing course, and a full draft of one of my stories. I wanted to keep writing for online publishers, and post to my blogs somewhat regularly.

I did finish that writing course, and I finished not one draft, but three of the story I’ve been working on. I’ve been writing so much it’s mind-boggling this year. I have managed to somewhat keep up with my blog, this one more than the other. And I’m going to use the sewing machine in preparation for the wedding!

The last section of goals for 2011 were about taking time for myself and taking care of myself. I wanted to finish reading my “to be read” pile, I wanted regular yoga classes and massages, I wanted to journal regularly, and to make a habit of taking proper care of myself – from alone time to buying the things I need to feel and look great.

I have made a dent in the TBR pile, but frankly, I refilled it just as quickly as I dented it. My Paperbackswap queue is a guilt-free way to indulge in my desire for new books, and I use it regularly. I haven’t found a yoga class that draws me back, but I sure as heck know when it’s massage day, and I’m one of the first to sign up! I have been writing so much, journaling doesn’t feel necessary, but I do scribble “as needed”. I’ve been better about wardrobe and hair updates. My eyebrows could use a waxing, but I’ve been better about makeup and that sort of stuff too. Just in general, I feel more “put together” this year than I have in a while.

Reasons vs. Excuses

A reason is a "a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action." An excuse is meant "to serve as an apology or justification for" something.

A bum knee, a torn ligament, a broken toe. These are reasons.

I didn't want to get up, I don't have gym access, I'm too stressed to exercise, and I don't have time are excuses.

Running and walking only require shoes (and maybe a jacket). No equipment, no membership fees. Yes, you can get fancy and wear $100 shoes, technical wicking clothes and a heart rate monitor. But it's not required.

I get my coach's plan for the coming week on Sunday, and I figure out right then how and when I'm going to fit my training into my days. Yes, I can admit it, I'm kind of a freak. I have 2 gym memberships, plus I like to run and bike at home. So I have even fewer excuses than most.

This morning, Brett woke me up an hour earlier than usual because he'd had a rough night at work and 4 AM is about the only time we get to talk. I was exhausted, and did NOT want to get out of my warm snuggly bed at 5 just when we'd started to drift back off to sleep.

But I did. And I am stronger for it.

Do you have reasons? Or excuses?