I'm such a contrarian for waiting until January 2ND to post about the new year =P
2011 brought a lot of new experiences - new derby league, first time competing, first time at Rollercon (oh, you can BET there'll be more trips to Vegas!), etc, etc. I'm hoping to carry that on for the next year.
My primary goal is (of course) to finish my 30 Before 30 list. No easy feat, considering how I've only completed 13 as of this post (it'll be 14 after next weekend's photography class), and one of them is to complete a full marathon. But that's the biggest one - everything else is smaller (except maybe for the steeking one, since I'm nowhere near being done with that sweater). I have an additional 5 started/planned (as in, a concrete beginning or deadline). And all the other things are small - they can be completed over a weekend if I would stop messing around and DO it.
But that's the rub, isn't it? The list isn't just about what's on the list itself - it's about being able to set goals and to accomplish them. Much like new year's resolutions. It's about discipline and focus and time management. It's about commitment. It's also about learning new things.
So essentially, it's like my new year's resolutions are to develop discipline, gain focus, learn time management, stick to my commitments, and expand my horizons. But phrasing it that way is abstract and doomed to fail, so that's why my list has stuff like knit socks and find a beer I like =P
My other big goal (because having 17 other goals isn't enough) is to lose weight for good by developing healthy eating habits and keeping up a fitness regimen. I have successfully lost weight before, but wasn't so successful about keeping it off, and honestly? I'm tired of being fat. Not because I think I'm ugly and that fat is ugly, but because everything is harder when you're fat. It's harder to find cute clothes that fit. It's harder to run faster. If you knit like I do, you have to buy more yarn for yourself if you're a larger size than if you're knitting for your much smaller friend. (Don't laugh, I'm serious - if you're investing in expensive yarn, having to buy like FIVE more skeins of yarn is a big bummer! And don't even get me started about pattern designers who don't size their patterns past a 40" bust.) I haven't yet assessed whether having a fatter face means that you use up beauty products faster (more surface area?) but I wouldn't be surprised if that were true as well. It just sucks being fat.
I have the tools and resources to lose weight, but I lack the motivation and the discipline. I'm definitely an emotional eater. Hell, I'm an emotional EVERYTHING - eater, knitter, sleeper, compulsive spender, you name it. I'm just emotional. Plus, I just LOVE food. I love things that taste good and I like to try different things. I walk around in life asking God why the hell he invented honey-lavender gelato if we're supposed to make healthy choices. (Okay, not really. But honey-lavender gelato is actually really, REALLY good.)
So I'll have a hard time of it. But I'm lucky that I do have a body that responds well to diet and exercise. I put on muscle easily, and every time I start watching what I eat (through Weight Watchers), the scale budges easily (at least, at first - I never stick with it long enough to plateau).
That's about it. Those are my plans for the year, and I look forward to sharing my results with you here on this blog.
2011 brought a lot of new experiences - new derby league, first time competing, first time at Rollercon (oh, you can BET there'll be more trips to Vegas!), etc, etc. I'm hoping to carry that on for the next year.
My primary goal is (of course) to finish my 30 Before 30 list. No easy feat, considering how I've only completed 13 as of this post (it'll be 14 after next weekend's photography class), and one of them is to complete a full marathon. But that's the biggest one - everything else is smaller (except maybe for the steeking one, since I'm nowhere near being done with that sweater). I have an additional 5 started/planned (as in, a concrete beginning or deadline). And all the other things are small - they can be completed over a weekend if I would stop messing around and DO it.
But that's the rub, isn't it? The list isn't just about what's on the list itself - it's about being able to set goals and to accomplish them. Much like new year's resolutions. It's about discipline and focus and time management. It's about commitment. It's also about learning new things.
So essentially, it's like my new year's resolutions are to develop discipline, gain focus, learn time management, stick to my commitments, and expand my horizons. But phrasing it that way is abstract and doomed to fail, so that's why my list has stuff like knit socks and find a beer I like =P
My other big goal (because having 17 other goals isn't enough) is to lose weight for good by developing healthy eating habits and keeping up a fitness regimen. I have successfully lost weight before, but wasn't so successful about keeping it off, and honestly? I'm tired of being fat. Not because I think I'm ugly and that fat is ugly, but because everything is harder when you're fat. It's harder to find cute clothes that fit. It's harder to run faster. If you knit like I do, you have to buy more yarn for yourself if you're a larger size than if you're knitting for your much smaller friend. (Don't laugh, I'm serious - if you're investing in expensive yarn, having to buy like FIVE more skeins of yarn is a big bummer! And don't even get me started about pattern designers who don't size their patterns past a 40" bust.) I haven't yet assessed whether having a fatter face means that you use up beauty products faster (more surface area?) but I wouldn't be surprised if that were true as well. It just sucks being fat.
I have the tools and resources to lose weight, but I lack the motivation and the discipline. I'm definitely an emotional eater. Hell, I'm an emotional EVERYTHING - eater, knitter, sleeper, compulsive spender, you name it. I'm just emotional. Plus, I just LOVE food. I love things that taste good and I like to try different things. I walk around in life asking God why the hell he invented honey-lavender gelato if we're supposed to make healthy choices. (Okay, not really. But honey-lavender gelato is actually really, REALLY good.)
So I'll have a hard time of it. But I'm lucky that I do have a body that responds well to diet and exercise. I put on muscle easily, and every time I start watching what I eat (through Weight Watchers), the scale budges easily (at least, at first - I never stick with it long enough to plateau).
That's about it. Those are my plans for the year, and I look forward to sharing my results with you here on this blog.