April

Welcome to April's installment of my year of resolutions (if you're just going me, check out January, February, and March!).  I'll admit I'm a bit late...it's already the middle of April!  But better late than never, right?  And I'm proud to say that I'm actually acting on this month's resolution already, so even though I'm just getting around to posting about it, I promise I've been working on keeping it!

My April resolution is to run more.  Can I make a confession?  I've always always always wanted to be a runner.  But years of being forced to run as "punishment" for losing field hockey games (and let me tell you, my high school team was not good) kind of made me equate running with hatred.  And so no matter how much I wanted to love running, it just never seemed to love me back.  There's probably that other factor that I really could lose like 30 pounds and that would make the whole thing a little easier too...but yeah, excuses, excuses.

I dread making any sort of grand statement here, because that might mean I have some accountability, but I really would love to run a half marathon.  (You might be a runner who's thinking "girl, you can totally do it!", but friends, I'm done at about 2 miles)  Anyway, I'm keeping with this theme of having monthly resolutions and setting a small goal for myself...to simply run more.  Every time I go to the gym, I'm making it my goal to at least warm up with a mile on the treadmill.  Now that it's getting nicer outside, I'm pushing myself to hit the macadam.

No big training plan or race in mind, just run, and feel good about doing it.  The whole idea behind this year of resolutions is to set little attainable goals each month that hopefully turn into habits and lifestyle choices.  Running more is probably my most measurable goal yet, yet it's probably also the hardest.  Honestly, most days I just lack the motivation, no matter how good I feel afterward and how much I love being able to say "yeah, I just went for a run".

So here's to beating the lazy bones in me and getting out there and putting rubber to pavement!

APRIL

Welcome to April's installment of my year of resolutions (if you're just going me, check out January, February, and March!).  I'll admit I'm a bit late...it's already the middle of April!  But better late than never, right?  And I'm proud to say that I'm actually acting on this month's resolution already, so even though I'm just getting around to posting about it, I promise I've been working on keeping it!

My April resolution is to run more.  Can I make a confession?  I've always always always wanted to be a runner.  But years of being forced to run as "punishment" for losing field hockey games (and let me tell you, my high school team was not good) kind of made me equate running with hatred.  And so no matter how much I wanted to love running, it just never seemed to love me back.  There's probably that other factor that I really could lose like 30 pounds and that would make the whole thing a little easier too...but yeah, excuses, excuses.

I dread making any sort of grand statement here, because that might mean I have some accountability, but I really would love to run a half marathon.  (You might be a runner who's thinking "girl, you can totally do it!", but friends, I'm done at about 2 miles)  Anyway, I'm keeping with this theme of having monthly resolutions and setting a small goal for myself...to simply run more.  Every time I go to the gym, I'm making it my goal to at least warm up with a mile on the treadmill.  Now that it's getting nicer outside, I'm pushing myself to hit the macadam.

No big training plan or race in mind, just run, and feel good about doing it.  The whole idea behind this year of resolutions is to set little attainable goals each month that hopefully turn into habits and lifestyle choices.  Running more is probably my most measurable goal yet, yet it's probably also the hardest.  Honestly, most days I just lack the motivation, no matter how good I feel afterward and how much I love being able to say "yeah, I just went for a run".

So here's to beating the lazy bones in me and getting out there and putting rubber to pavement!

March

Ooops!  We're over a week into March and I'm slacking.  I totally forgot to post my March resolution, from my 12 months of resolutions project!

But here it is...my resolution for March...spend less.

So spending less.  Easier said than done, right?

I've always been good at saving money.  My mom used to work for a bank and my brother and I opened our first savings accounts when were were less than 10 years old.  But right now, I'm not exactly earning a lot.  I'm halfway through student teaching and while I'm still employed part time at my church, it's only 8 hours a week...so you do the math.

Besides just not making much money, I'm also in this stage where I will soon have quite a lot of money in student loans that I will need to start paying off.  And going from a few months of not being able to save money to having regular bills to pay will be a little bit of an adjustment.

My plan for this spring has been to try not to pull any money from my savings and just to live off of what I'm making.  And so far, I've been doing pretty good.  But now I'm halfway through this period and it's getting warmer outside and the temptation for new spring clothes is starting to bud, and well, more self restraint is required.

I stumbled across this blog back in January.  It's written by a girl who found herself in some extreme debt and then decided to enact some extreme measures to get herself out of it.  I love the idea of a spending fast and spending diet...making a list of "needs" and "wants" and either just sticking to spending money on the needs list (the spending fast) or creating an allowance for the wants and sticking to that allowance (the spending diet).

I think it's crucial, especially in your early twenties, to start thinking about the long-term future and to start saving for that.  And so, this March, I'm working on spending less and saving more.  While I might not get to put a ton of money away, I at least hope to get into the habit of only spending on needs and the occasional want.  Because, let's face it....I'm human and it's okay to pick up that dress I have my eye on at Target, right?

MARCH

Ooops!  We're over a week into March and I'm slacking.  I totally forgot to post my March resolution, from my 12 months of resolutions project!

But here it is...my resolution for March...spend less.

So spending less.  Easier said than done, right?

I've always been good at saving money.  My mom used to work for a bank and my brother and I opened our first savings accounts when were were less than 10 years old.  But right now, I'm not exactly earning a lot.  I'm halfway through student teaching and while I'm still employed part time at my church, it's only 8 hours a week...so you do the math.

Besides just not making much money, I'm also in this stage where I will soon have quite a lot of money in student loans that I will need to start paying off.  And going from a few months of not being able to save money to having regular bills to pay will be a little bit of an adjustment.

My plan for this spring has been to try not to pull any money from my savings and just to live off of what I'm making.  And so far, I've been doing pretty good.  But now I'm halfway through this period and it's getting warmer outside and the temptation for new spring clothes is starting to bud, and well, more self restraint is required.

I stumbled across this blog back in January.  It's written by a girl who found herself in some extreme debt and then decided to enact some extreme measures to get herself out of it.  I love the idea of a spending fast and spending diet...making a list of "needs" and "wants" and either just sticking to spending money on the needs list (the spending fast) or creating an allowance for the wants and sticking to that allowance (the spending diet).

I think it's crucial, especially in your early twenties, to start thinking about the long-term future and to start saving for that.  And so, this March, I'm working on spending less and saving more.  While I might not get to put a ton of money away, I at least hope to get into the habit of only spending on needs and the occasional want.  Because, let's face it....I'm human and it's okay to pick up that dress I have my eye on at Target, right?

February

Back in January, I decided to do a year-long project in which I challenged myself to set monthly goals rather than one big resolution that I knew I wasn't going to keep.  

For the first month, my goal was simply to set smaller, more attainable goals.  And you know what?  I think it worked.  I've gotten into the habit of being realistic with goal setting and helping myself succeed because of it.

For February, my resolution, or goal, is to love more.  Love people, love places, love situations.  I don't know about you, but for me, it's especially easy to get pessimistic and whiney during winter.  It's cold, I mostly want to be curled up under a blanket, and I get lazy.  It's definitely easy for the weather to make me a little more irritable or grumpy, and I have to work a little bit harder to be cheerful all the time.  And I've noticed this about others too, and frankly, when I hear others complain and be negative, it just makes me tired.  And reminds me that I need to check my attitude as well.

So for this month, I'm making a goal to be a more loving person.  To find good in every person and every situation.  To be a more gentle and genuine person, and to not get so caught up in my crazy schedule that I don't have time for others.

FEBRUARY

Back in January, I decided to do a year-long project in which I challenged myself to set monthly goals rather than one big resolution that I knew I wasn't going to keep.  

For the first month, my goal was simply to set smaller, more attainable goals.  And you know what?  I think it worked.  I've gotten into the habit of being realistic with goal setting and helping myself succeed because of it.

For February, my resolution, or goal, is to love more.  Love people, love places, love situations.  I don't know about you, but for me, it's especially easy to get pessimistic and whiney during winter.  It's cold, I mostly want to be curled up under a blanket, and I get lazy.  It's definitely easy for the weather to make me a little more irritable or grumpy, and I have to work a little bit harder to be cheerful all the time.  And I've noticed this about others too, and frankly, when I hear others complain and be negative, it just makes me tired.  And reminds me that I need to check my attitude as well.

So for this month, I'm making a goal to be a more loving person.  To find good in every person and every situation.  To be a more gentle and genuine person, and to not get so caught up in my crazy schedule that I don't have time for others.

Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I hope the past few days have been great for you.  Welcome to 2013! 

So obviously, it's time for New Years resolutions.  I've made resolutions in the past, and frankly, have been terribly about keeping them.  I've done the "lose weight" and "save more money" and "manage my time better" resolutions, and maybe it's something about trying to set a goal for an entire year that's just, well, intimidating.  But I'm always a little overwhelmed by it all. 

As I was thinking about 2013, I got the feeling that this is going to be a big year.  I'll be starting my student teaching in just two weeks and then will be busy with that all summer.  After that, I'll (hopefully) find a job for the summer and then a teaching position for the fall.  Things are changing, and I'm excited!  Big changes like a new job make me inspired to change other things too.

So my goal for this year, for January, is to set smaller goals.  To start off the year with small milestones makes big resolutions feel a little bit more manageable, dontcha think?  

I'll be spending some time this month creating a list of goals for each month of the year, and starting to put them in to practice little by little, but focusing on each goal during different months throughout the year.  

RESOLUTIONS

Happy New Year!

I hope the past few days have been great for you.  Welcome to 2013! 

So obviously, it's time for New Years resolutions.  I've made resolutions in the past, and frankly, have been terribly about keeping them.  I've done the "lose weight" and "save more money" and "manage my time better" resolutions, and maybe it's something about trying to set a goal for an entire year that's just, well, intimidating.  But I'm always a little overwhelmed by it all. 

As I was thinking about 2013, I got the feeling that this is going to be a big year.  I'll be starting my student teaching in just two weeks and then will be busy with that all summer.  After that, I'll (hopefully) find a job for the summer and then a teaching position for the fall.  Things are changing, and I'm excited!  Big changes like a new job make me inspired to change other things too.

So my goal for this year, for January, is to set smaller goals.  To start off the year with small milestones makes big resolutions feel a little bit more manageable, dontcha think?  

I'll be spending some time this month creating a list of goals for each month of the year, and starting to put them in to practice little by little, but focusing on each goal during different months throughout the year.