. . . 'tis the year for resolutions to be resolved!
Obviously my big goals of 2010 were a bit unrealistic. I may have been too ambitious? Maybe I should have taken the time to put together a plan of attack? I mean, seriously, how did I end up blogging LESS than 2009?? That's just sad. My most recent failure?
OPERATION: Insomnia Kicked My Ass. Yeah, that might have been a little too ambitious.... (
but that won't stop me from trying again!)
Excuses aside, I think that after a year at my new job I am finally beginning to settle into a consistent schedule and I'm starting to get into a groove. I can feel it. 2011 is my year to get things done!
I don't want to set myself up for failure. My greatest weakness is taking on more than I can handle. I usually start with this huge list of things I wanna accomplish by the end of the year, and then after looking back at the list, I enter "paralysis by analysis" mode and NOTHING gets accomplished. Not much of a confidence booster.
In an effort to rebuild my confidence (I
can set goals and achieve them) and
still keep my over-ambitious self happy... I have decided to set a few comfortable goals, and one bonus goal that is a bit of a stretch to accomplish.
1)
Thanks a Latte a little less...
I'm putting myself on a Starbucks budget of $50 a month. I know what you may be thinking... $50 a month on Starbucks sounds like a lot. If you only knew how much money I averaged per month in 2010, you would understand that $50 is gonna be a stretch! But never fear, I have devised a plan!
I scheduled to auto-reload $50 onto my Starbucks card every month on the 1st. $4 for a tall soy sugar-free hazelnut latte breaks down to about 3 times a week. Since mom-in-law bought me a Keurig coffee maker, I plan to brew my morning coffee at home before I leave for work and on rough days I keep those mini cans of Starbucks Doubleshots handy!
When I say $50 a month, I am only factoring in my own money. Gift cards will be a bonus, and will not count against my $50. So if I receive a gift card, I can indulge in a grande latte and coffee cake! Any balance left over at the end of the month will roll over to the next month, so I can save a few bucks one month and I can splurge a little next month :)
2)
Stretching my comfort zone...
I have been telling myself for years that I want to practice Bikram Yoga on a regular basis. YEARS! 2011 is the year to make that happen! I can go to the 5:30am class on one of my days off, and the 3:30pm class 2x a week after work. When you break things down that way, it seems simple enough right? The hardest part is convincing myself not to auto-pilot home after work...
3)
The Great Purge of 2011
I have lived in my home for a little over 8 years. In that time, [
PW] and I have both left our old sales manager positions and have emptied out our offices into our home. I have had 5 different roommates who have all left at least a few things behind. Over the years my garage has served as a storage unit for several different friends, and only God knows how much crap I have accumulated. I do not wanna end up as one of those sad people on Hoarders. Sad thing is, I think I'm getting pretty close.
Considering how much crap we have, I am giving myself one year to complete this task. I do mini -purges and I think I'm making progress, but no matter how much crap I throw away or donate, there's no change. This year, there WILL be a change!
Bonus)
10K for a rainy day...
I am big advocate of saving money. I love to save for a rainy day! Unfortunately, at the end of the year I always look back and wish I had saved more. This year I wanna set aside 10K. That breaks down to about $835/month. I know that's gonna be a stretch, which is why I have decided to make this my Bonus resolution. The little things add up, so things like cutting back on Starbucks and not eating out as much will hopefully help the cause.
It's the first day of the year and I'm proud to report that I haven't had Starbucks, I haven't spent a cent, and I just threw out a couple of old pillows! :)
Baby steps, baby steps...
