2014 - Another Journey Begins!

Have I said lately how wild it is that 2013 is gone? I experienced a strange sense of loss as we bid farewell to one year and welcomed in the next. I've been so completely tied to so many goals for so long. They were always on my mind, every thing I did was tied directly to one of those goals. Sometimes it was me leaving an activity early to work out, or to pass up reading a book "for fun" to read the scriptures (a way better pay off anyway!). They were the first thing I thought of and saw each morning and the last at night thanks to what I affectionately call the "goal wall". It looked something like this. I thought it appropriate that one of the pages was about to fall off the wall - it's like they knew!!

At the beginning of 2013 I needed a breakdown like that. I NEEDED structure and organization. I needed to see everything laid out. I didn't make resolutions for 2013, I made a plan!

I've been giving a lot of thought to what I wanted to accomplish in 2014. I tried an identical outline with similar goals, but with some variety to spice things up a bit. But every time I tried to pull it together, I had this weight, for lack of a better word, come over me and I was DREADING this year! That is just NOT okay! After weeks of revamping I finally came up with what I need this year!

Fitness: I'm sticking with Weight Watchers likely through most, if not all of the upcoming year. It's been recommended that I not exceed 42 activity points per week (think 6 points per 30 minutes of step aerobics). I can do anything I want for exercise! I'm not tied to walking! I can ride a bike, go kayaking (YAY!!!), perhaps even try a little bit of running (maybe the year I tackle a 5K?) - just get moving and track those points!!

Budget: I want to be better at saving money this year. I've put myself on a pretty strict spending budget, but I want to be REALLY awesome at saving. So I'm going to be following a 52 week saving plan. If you want to see what it looks like, see the outline here.

Food storage: I want to be better prepared for anything and everything, but it's going to take some time. So, I'm going to follow this handy guide to try to get my food storage started. Already I see things that I won't buy, and I won't necessarily follow the order, but at least it will get me on the right track.

Can you believe the difference? Three pages of goals instead of 18.

My walls feel completely naked, but I feel happy and really excited to start this year! I expect that I'll add more goals, tackle more items from the bucket, experiences challenges and changes I can't even begin to imagine now, but I'm ready. The last 365 days were an AMAZING journey! I'm almost a completely different person than I was last year at this time. I don't have the words to fully describe how that feels. But I'm determined to make this an even better year, and to continue my journey to BECOME who I want to be! With heaven's help and a lot of hard work, hopefully I'll find myself here in another 365 days, recounting the lessons of another year gone by.

What are you going to do in 2014 in your journey to become??