2012 in Review

2012 Goals in Review...

At the beginning of 2012, I published these goals on my blog:

1. Get to the gym (or exercise) 3 or more times per week. That's about 156 check-ins for the year (compared to last year's 112). I am already behind!
2. Get to bed by 10 PM or earlier.
3. Read scriptures every day before work.
4. Read a book a month for pleasure.
5. Learn a song on the piano (keyboard, since that's all I have).
6. Limit eating out to twice per month. (Taco Bell is a weekly thing before my Tuesday night class at the rather inconvenient time of 4:30-7:30, so this doesn't count.)
7. Pay off my credit card.

Here is my assessment of each of the above goals.

1. I accomplished this and then some. I reached 156 check-ins at the gym on December 31st. Most weeks, I worked out 4-5 days. On spring break, during summer vacation, Thanksgiving, and winter break, I worked out consistently at home in Glendora. I occasionally worked out in my apartment or at my complex gym. This year I’m ready to take it all to a new level by eating the way I should eat: clean. And I’ll be monitoring everything with my BodyBugg.
2. I did not make this happen. My sleeping habits are terrible. I want to be better about this. I should start heading to bed at 9:30 (get changed, brush teeth, read, etc.). That way I can make it to sleep by 10 or 10:30. My BodyBugg will keep track of my sleep and sleep quality. I’m excited about it.
3. I did not accomplish this either. At some point in the year I was reading nightly. I had intended to accomplish the Book of Mormon challenge issued by my stake. I loved reading the way they assigned, with color coding and highlighting. I think I will continue that way. Depending on how much I have left to read, I will pick a date to be done with that pattern of reading. Then I’ll bust out Preach My Gospel again and start using that as a study guide again because I loved doing it that way. I need to make this a daily thing because I notice a difference in my life when I read my scriptures. Also one thing I did this fall that I hadn’t set out to do originally was sign up for institute. I met new people and grew in some ways. I can do better in this vein and am planning on taking institute again this semester.
4. I did not do this. I don’t read enough. I waste a lot of time online because that’s what I want to do after working all day. But it never fulfills. I’m going to come up with a list of twelve books to read. Most will be self-help books I think.
5. I put my keyboard into storage in June, so I didn’t learn any new songs. : (
6. I did really well with not going out to eat this year. The past few months I’ve been pretty bad about this because I’ve had extra money coming in from my writing job.
7. I am happy to say that I just scheduled my last payment for my credit card and that both of them will be at a zero balance. I will take that money I’ve been using to pay those off to pay off my medical bill for the next 3-4 months. Then I will use the money and put it all toward my car. I’m snowballing. Dave Ramsey’s methods work! I still type out everything I spend onto a spreadsheet in Excel.

2012 in Review...

Regardless of only accomplishing three of my seven original goals, it doesn't mean I wasted 2012. I still did stuff!

This year I have

1. Cut 11 inches off my hair and donated it.
2. Dated a ton.
3. Deleted my online dating profiles after having too many bad experiences.
4. Gotten a roommate.
5. Tripled my savings from this time last year.
6. Set up a Roth IRA account.
7. Seen Joshua Radin in concert.
8. Seen Band of Horses in concert.
9. Exercised 3-6 days per week all year.
10. Started teaching honors classes.
11. Been in the same calling in a new ward (visiting teaching coordinator).
12. Taken a writing class and written a lot.
13. Brought some of my writing class traditions into my own classroom.
14. Had an overnight retreat in Heber at a nice cabin.
15. Gotten an iPhone.
16. Signed up for Instagram and have taken lots of pictures.
17. Donated plasma and gotten paid.
18. Visited the Getty museum twice.
19. Gone to the beach several times throughout the summer.
20. Made new girlfriends.
21. Seen a lot of movies.
22. Worn an awesome Halloween costume: Hermione Granger.
23. Gone to Cornbelly’s a lot.
24. Ridden the lift at Snowbird and done the moonlight ski ride at Sundance.
25. Redone my little brother’s room.
26. Applied cleaning techniques from Pinterest.
27. Finished my mom’s recipe books.
28. Been financially able to buy Christmas presents.
29. Started Crossfitting regularly using a website (calicrossfit.blogspot.com).
30. Rewatched childhood movies (Dumbo and Rescuers Down Under).
31. Voted for the presidency.
32. Decided that the vote for the Senate and House positions is way more important.
33. Held baby turtles.
34. Tried lots of new recipes from Pinterest, including overnight oatmeal and recipes with coconut milk.
35. Eaten a lot more fish.
36. Drank made-from-scratch hot chocolate.
37. Won several drawings at work for health challenges.
38. Run a 5K!
39. Gotten a traumatic, awful massage.
40. Done dishes in my bathroom sink.
41. Tried BodyPump class.
42. Gotten a speeding ticket.
43. Gone to court to fight it.
44. Used a piping bag for cupcake frosting
45. Substituted applesauce for oil in recipes
46. Gone to Bees games
47. Eaten deep fried Oreos and deep fried Snickers.
48. Finished a four week boot camp.
49. Added flax to my food.
50. Gone ice skating.

As for 2013...

I’ve explained in the past that I haven’t really been much for New Year’s resolutions because it’s so cliché. You have all these great goals and ideas that you forget about by February. That’s the case for me even with last year. But I need the push. I really do. And this is just a good excuse to get off my butt and start moving forward. I needed something to make me sit down and focus on the steps I want to take to being a better version of myself. New Year’s is doing that for me.

A while back, I found this little poster on Pinterest and have used it to guide my goal-setting.

So I've set some solid goals for each area.

My mind?
- Continue writing SEO articles. I learn a lot doing that for work.
- Watch a documentary every month (Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead; Business of Being Born, etc.)
- Try to publish for English Journal or Utah English Journal
- Meditate a few minutes before bed (this is a spiritual and physical goal too).

My body?
- Read the following book: Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running
- Go to sleep at 10:00 PM, and wake up at 6 AM.
- Exercise at least four days per week doing Crossfit and running, if the Crossfit workout is short.
- Practice clean eating habits: fresh veggies, fruit, whole grains, and protein.
- Minimize and attempt to eliminate sugar intake.
- Run a half marathon

My spirit?
- Read: Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
- Learn and apply positive self-talk
- Pray in the morning and at night
- Read scriptures before work while eating breakfast (10 minutes)
- Fast at least once per month
- Attend institute
- Stop swearing

My relationships?
- Read the following books: Tiny Beautiful Things; The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved
- Call, text, or write a note to somebody daily.
- Speak kind words about others to increase trust.

My creativity and passion?
- Read the following books: Letters from a Nut; A Million Little Pieces; We Bought a Zoo; The Book Thief;  I Hate Everything
- Write daily.
- Learn to play guitar in community classes.

I think I'm set. And I'm going to print this out and put it somewhere that I can see regularly. I'll keep track of my books on Goodreads.

Here's to a year of progress!