Can we all just take a moment to all feel really old with the coming of the year two-thousand-and-freaking-fifteen?! I am kind of a number-fixator sometimes (in the healthiest way possible, I assure you) and that number somehow represents big things for me.
I’m not huge on setting measurable goals for the new year or new year’s resolutions. They usually feel forced and contrived, and way too easy to rebel against or abandon entirely. What I love doing though, is reflecting on the changes that have developed over the year, and dreaming up what might be brewing for the year to come. What will this next year be defined by? The fun part is that I can never really predict it, but it’s always something that seems to take my life to the next level, or the next phase.
Change is happening constantly, even when you feel like you’ve been standing still for a while. Don’t let that feeling fool you, because you are actually collecting experiences that are shaping you and creating growth in all facets of your life. And while we can’t predict where we’ll be in a year, it’s fun to dream and it’s motivating to spell out what we want to do and where we want to be.
So what’s just over the horizon for me for 2015? While I can’t be certain (plans never go as planned in my experience) I’m feeling like this will be a year that moves me to a new phase, one where my days are no longer “just trying to survive” (like they are for so many moms of young kids!) but where I’m asking for more and better of myself and my family. Striving to be “better” is always a theme in my life, but it will look different this year than it has in the past.
I will find fulfillment in new ways.
For the past several years, I have turned to “stuff” (running gear is a weakness) imagining it will help me feel “fresh” and fulfilled in some way. As much as I love a new outfit, I realize that “stuff” does not fulfill anything at all and I don’t want to spend my time or money buying things. I truly want to find a place in myself where none of that matters. I want to feel fulfilled just by being, not by having or acquiring.
I will stop using running as an escape.
Look, I love running, and that’s not changing anytime soon. But, the motivating factor is key. I have written about the balance between running as a healthy way of coping and running to avoid difficult feelings. I have made a big leap in this area over the past year, and I would love to make more progress here. There was a time a couple of years ago when I needed that time spent running away from home to collect my thoughts, but that time has passed, and I want running to be something I only do when I truly crave it. Moving will not help me grow unless I’m also okay will being still.
I will continue forming individual relationships with each of my children.
In 2015, my children will turn 8, 6, and 4. And yes, I just cried hysterically for 30 seconds after writing those numbers. My husband and I were talking about how each of our relationships with our kids has grown and changed over the past year or so, and it got me thinking about what I want to work on going forward. Kids grow so fast in the scope of an adult frame of mind. It is really necessary to meet them where they are today because it’s so easy to fall behind and wonder what happened. I hope to nurture each of our developing relationships this year, and chill out on the angry mommy stuff. Yup, I can be an angry mommy.
Yoga will become a new norm.
I’ve been doing yoga for a week and already I’m wanting to do it almost daily. I know I said in a recent post that I’d like to practice yoga twice per week, and if there is any measurable goal I’m setting for the new year, it will be to stick with that. This is probably more for the psychological benefits than the physical.
Blog blog blog.
This blog has really defined the past year in many ways, and helped me keep things honest with myself and with the world. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be coming along with me, full force for 2015!
The food.
Will I still be eating sausage in a year? I think so. I don’t foresee any big changes in my food happening this next year. If it ain’t broke, no need to fix. Physically I am feeling really well, my digestion is good, and I’ve mostly mastered the little tweaks in my diet to the point where it feels natural. One “goal” I have for the new year is to make my own darn kombucha already! I did the bone broth, now must move on the the ‘booch.
2015. Still can’t quite wrap my head around that number as the actual present day and not some fantasy sci-fi movie year. If I’m feeling this way now, 2050 might really get my granny panties in a bunch (assuming I’m lucky enough to be mentally and physically present at that point.) But now’s not the time to be thinking that far ahead, I suppose 🙂
Thanks to Jill Conyers and Jessica Joy for The Fit Dish Link-Up – happy to join you guys today!
Do you set measurable goals or resolutions for the new year? Do you reflect on changes over the past year and try to predict what’s on the horizon? What’s one area of your life that you’d like to work on this coming year?
Last year I set a few measurable goals and a few broad goals. I think they were challenging but I was able to accomplish them all. The hardest one was “run a marathon in under 3:50” because really, I only had 2 chances to do that and a million things can go wrong during a marathon- its a lot of pressure! But once i stopped worrying about the number goal it happened. This year I may make a race-time goal but I definitely also want to set more general life-improvement goals. Even though I posted about some of my goals today, right now my focus is pretty much all on running. I usually use the last few weeks of the year to reflect and think about how I want to be different/better the next year. Its so crazy thats its gonna be 2015!!
That’s awesome that you accomplished your goals for this year! Race time goals are tough and I think at the end of the day I realize they’re not that meaningful for me! The process of getting there is always where the most change happens.
I -do- feel really old with the new year! Mostly because I’ll be turning 30 a few days into it, and that kind of feels like a big huge deal. I’m looking forward to it, though. I wouldn’t trade all the “wisdom” and experience for the chance to go back to a younger, more insecure, me. And I have a feeling that most of what will define this year will be working on growing my business and finishing up another area of schooling. I have a feeling that 2015 will be a good one 🙂
30 and 2015 are big things! I turned 32 this past year and the 30’s are really different than the 20s in good ways. I have a good feeling that big things are happening for you in the year to come as well!
Beautiful goals, and thank you for your statement on not setting measurable/absolute goals. In my mind, setting goals should not set you out to feel like a failure, or doomed from the start. There is plenty of that in the world. And like you say, change is inevitable, and a necessary (and wanted!) part of life–to be welcomed–thus our goals should be able to change too! What is most important is not the numbers but the quality–time with children, bringing back what makes us and the world around us happy and healthy.
I think for some the measurable goals feel manageable, but I do better with general areas I want to improve on. Completely agree that focusing on the quality of interactions with people and the world is a good start!
Yay yay yay for more yoga in 2015! I’m hoping for the same.
So glad I finally got myself to do it because I’m really loving it!
I usually set measurable goals, but I really like the outlook you have taken and may have to try something similar!
Glad to inspire ideas! Hope the year to come is a great one for you!
It’s interesting to read how differently people view goals. Definitely more yoga for me in 2015!
SO with you on the yoga! Glad I finally got myself to actually do it because it’s awesome!
I think your goals are awesome! You have every category covered and sounds like you are in a great place. One of my goals is to incorporate more running into my workouts for the next year. I
Awesome! I will always love running. it’s a great way to zone out mentally and just enjoy time alone.
Thanks for sharing, I am still working on my goals. I just finished my first 15K this past Sunday and that was a goal this year. I am enjoying reading all the link ups this morning, truly inspiring! Beautiful children, mine are grown and you can never spend too much time with them, they will always be my biggest accomplishment!
That’s awesome! I actually love racing that distance – it’s the perfect long-short distance 🙂 That’s so sweet you feel that way about your kids, and it’s nice for me to hear as well now that they’re still so young 🙂
as I read this post, I feel very introspective. I am an analyzer, thinker, soul searcher on a continuous basis. I am always looking for the meaning in everything. Amazing I have not driven myself crazy. I don’t do it in a negative way just always seeking, exploring, researching, reading watching. I am not a know-it-all. I like to learn from others and never force my opinion upon someone. I have always been an inward striver. You would never know it on the outside. My dreams and goals I always keep within and achieve quietly. Once I set my mind to something, it becomes a part of me. I was raised in a very intellectual home where stimulating subjects and the things we did grew us as individuals. That’s why I like your blog. You are a thinker and write often about the things I contemplate that nobody I know even thinks about let alone wants to discuss so it is always locked up within my own mind. It is so awesome to see you think these things and discuss them. One goal I have always pursued is travel and I have traveled extensively. The world is such an interesting place. We travel every five months to some far away places. I plan on covering the world. Things have never driven me and never will. I buy what I need and am finished. Like nice things but can’t contemplate it on a daily basis. Thanks for this thoughtful post and sharing your deep feelings and as usual your beautiful soul. We probably would have been friends had we met at another time in life. You are a real quality individual. Funny I am always giving you a compliment. You don’t realize I am not one of those constant complimenters. Never have been. You are just a soul mate to me in the way your mind works and the way you dig deep within yourself for the true meaning of things and life. I have been thinking about 2015 and my plans for it quite a bit. Hope it is a healthy, great year for all of us and our loved ones.
Seems like we have a lot in common and are on the same page in many ways. I was also raised in an intellectual environment and my parents valued learning, spirituality and good morals over anything else. I would absolutely love to be able to travel the world someday, can’t be my goal for the next several years but perhaps when my family is older 🙂
Moving made me so aware of how much “stuff” I do NOT need. I haven’t bought any clothing in a loong time. I’m not walking around in rags or anything. I mean when the clothes get ratty, I’ll get new ones. But my wardrobe including running gear is fine as-is. Packing all that “stuff” just made me realize “really, i need 5 of these (x) things?” No. And you’re right, it doesn’t make me any happier to have 5 running shirts versus 10 that all look pretty much the same.
Of course, house renovations will eat up funds but I do NEED a place to live 🙂
So anyway, for 2015, my goal is also to just focus on appreciating what I have now and not accumulating more “stuff”.
I’ve heard George Carlin (deceased comedian) had a great bit about “stuff”. I haven’t watched this yet (at work) but it’s supposed to be pretty funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_QkGPCL18&noredirect=1
Love George Carlin and I’ve seen it! Completely agree with you on the “stuff” and although it’s a temptation, I think I have to be mature enough to just say “no” to extra stuff!