Last year's resolutions...
Well, they were good ideas, but they were pretty much all dead by June because of really stupid things like brain fog, plantar fasciitis, and having an extremely hard time completing any task if when I get interrupted for the dozenth time. Whoa, what?!! Dozenth is actually a word, it didn't set off the auto-correct.
Don't get me wrong, I had an AWESOME year. I was surprised to find that the resolution-meeting/failing had no noticeable impact on my happiness or fulfillment. I would say that this year was one of my happiest ever, spent in a busy blurry baby bliss. Torin has turned into a super tall toddler who amazes me in one way or another every day. It feels like he has always been a part of our lives, and that hyper-stressful times are only a distant memory. Really, my most important goal/job of the year was keeping this crazy baby healthy and alive and to figure out how to be a mom, and those goals were definitely met! In the past year he graduated both physical therapy and food/eating therapy (yeah, he's a lazy milk-obsessed sort of dude), and both therapists were sad to see him go because he's such a happy baby. He has taught me to dance and sing and even to be silly in public, and has reinvigorated my love of playgrounds and the moon.
Vs. this year's resolutions...
Due to last year's goal flops, this year I am only doing six 6-month goals. Fewer goals with a much shorter time frame seems like a far more motivating idea to me right now. And the goals are pretty much just for me... selfish ones, since I spent all of last year's energy on others. As a bonus, I have already been working on most of them for several weeks.
Each goal has benefits that will leak into the other areas of my life... such as energy levels, general health, motivation, Torin's development, our readiness to start trying for baby #2. Success will mean that by July I have integrated these things into life's routines to the point that they are an automatic habit.
And then...
If I manage to integrate these things, then it is time to work on the less-vital-for-existence stuff starting in July... social life, cardiovascular fitness/endurance, getting the etsy store together, starting the fall/winter garden, that sort of thing.
What are your resolutions this year? Did you achieve last year's goals?
Well, they were good ideas, but they were pretty much all dead by June because of really stupid things like brain fog, plantar fasciitis, and having an extremely hard time completing any task
Don't get me wrong, I had an AWESOME year. I was surprised to find that the resolution-meeting/failing had no noticeable impact on my happiness or fulfillment. I would say that this year was one of my happiest ever, spent in a busy blurry baby bliss. Torin has turned into a super tall toddler who amazes me in one way or another every day. It feels like he has always been a part of our lives, and that hyper-stressful times are only a distant memory. Really, my most important goal/job of the year was keeping this crazy baby healthy and alive and to figure out how to be a mom, and those goals were definitely met! In the past year he graduated both physical therapy and food/eating therapy (yeah, he's a lazy milk-obsessed sort of dude), and both therapists were sad to see him go because he's such a happy baby. He has taught me to dance and sing and even to be silly in public, and has reinvigorated my love of playgrounds and the moon.
Whee!
Vs. this year's resolutions...
Due to last year's goal flops, this year I am only doing six 6-month goals. Fewer goals with a much shorter time frame seems like a far more motivating idea to me right now. And the goals are pretty much just for me... selfish ones, since I spent all of last year's energy on others. As a bonus, I have already been working on most of them for several weeks.
- Improve Sleep
- 1: Focus on quality ('cause my quantity is ok!)... this means consecutive hours of sleep without waking. This is the hardest goal but the most vital... the doc says I'm so tired all of a sudden because I've finally hit rock-bottom from sleep deprivation due to not getting a full 90-minute sleep cycle more than once a week for a year and a half.
- 2: Add more reading to Torin's morning and nighttime routines, and progressively make the switches from nursing to sleep to rocking to sleep to reading to sleep.
- Improve Strength
- 3: Weight lift daily for at least 7 minutes (arms/back one day, legs/core the next)... a proven plan that works for me when I actually stick with it.
- 4: Learn to do a pull-up (I achieved this in ~6 months during college when I was weaker and heavier, from just hanging from the bar for 1 minute per night... it's possible!)
- Food Garden for Spring/Summer
- 5: Share it with Torin: focus on baby-friendly plants and get him interested/involved. I'm making an exciting order for seeds and landscaping cloth today! Tomatoes that are 1/4" across, toddler-height sunflowers, 1-inch cucumbers, and lots of bright colors to enjoy.
- 6: Blog 4x/month about garden to keep me accountable.
Each goal has benefits that will leak into the other areas of my life... such as energy levels, general health, motivation, Torin's development, our readiness to start trying for baby #2. Success will mean that by July I have integrated these things into life's routines to the point that they are an automatic habit.
And then...
If I manage to integrate these things, then it is time to work on the less-vital-for-existence stuff starting in July... social life, cardiovascular fitness/endurance, getting the etsy store together, starting the fall/winter garden, that sort of thing.
What are your resolutions this year? Did you achieve last year's goals?
