Last Years Resolution Reflections: Personal Goals

Last December, I divided my New Years Resolutions into two parts:  personal goals just for me, and home goals for 2012. So, for today, I thought it might be nice to look at the first part and see how close I came (or how much I completely ignored) each of my goals. And considering I’ve just finished my first year of graduate school, a grading scale seems appropriate here. So, how did I do?Looking back at my personal goals, they seem to lump themselves into several distinct categories:

1. Take better care of myself and allow myself a break. My grade: B-

While I have allowed myself a break when I’m feeling exhausted (and posts or lack thereof have reflected as such), I still don’t think I did my best. The extra workload from grad school left me with a lot of guilt for neglecting all of the projects I wanted to accomplish in the house this year. So instead of giving myself the breaks I probably needed more of, I spent most of the year feeling frazzled and have only myself to blame. But when it comes to leisure time, I did establish some QT with friends and family. And even managed to go on a date or two. And discovered some new craft beer brands. All in all, 2012 was still a fun year and I did have some “me” time after all.

2. Eat better and cook for myself. My grade: D-

I hate my kitchen and hate cooking in it. So instead of cooking better, healthier foods for myself, I’ve opted for eating out. Way. Too. Much. My favorite snack though has changed from fatty, salty chips to a delicious combo of yogurt, bananas, and walnuts. I could eat it every day and never get tired of it. Now I just need to find a few more options for lunch and dinner so I don’t always consider ordering food to be my quickest and easiest solution. But I have kept my green tea habit going at work, and I felt happier with my waistline this year than in previous years, so I guess there’s something to be said for trying, even if it’s only a little bit. An improvement can be improved upon, but there’s always a starting point! I guess, for me, it will be getting the kitchen in shape (but more on that when we discuss 2013 home goals).

3. Pamper myself a little more. My grade: C

I have picked my nightly skincare routine up again and occasionally take the time to paint my toenails or get my hair done. I’m still not the product junkie I once was, but now that I have a relaxing bathroom to – well, relax in – I feel like I’m finally going to set aside time for using all of those lovely creams and masks I have under the sink. And with the new bedding, I’m finally sleeping better. Oh – and I got laser hair removal. Best. Present. To. Me. Ever.

4. Work out more. Or at all. My grade: A-

I went from not working out and feeling really crappy about my body to finding two new ways to de-stress and feel amazing about myself. Hot (bikram) yoga has increased my flexibility and is the perfect preparation for test-taking; it really gets the blood flowing to the brain! And this year, I’ve participated in my first three races ever – two were from the new “MOB” craze (that stands for mud, obstacles, and beer – The Dirty Girl Mud Run and Warrior Dash) and I ran my very first 5k. I still run at a minimum of once per week, but I can always do better. I’m giving myself a high grade on this because half the battle of a good workout routine is finding something you actually enjoy doing. I feel like a total badass during and after a run. And combined with eating only slightly better, I am much happier with the way I look nowadays (a really funny thought comes to mind from Knocked Up ).

Overall, I wouldn’t say this was a great year for adding personal balance to my life. But with that sacrifice, other things were allowed to shine. This year was a fantastic year for the blog, and it was a fantastic year with grad school. My 3.99 GPA (!!!) is something I can be proud of, even though it meant fewer pedicures, lost sleep, and fewer home-cooked meals. Things have a way of eventually balancing out on their own, and I’d rather do poorly on this side if the reward is a graduate degree to hang on my wall (er, somewhere… I don’t really have walls to hang degrees on at work).

How was your year? Did you have any personal goals of your own? Maybe getting back on the treadmill or trying a new workout craze? Do tell.

Oh! One last thing: I am hoping to update my About Me page at the beginning of next year with a video. Are there any questions you’d like answered that I can include on it?

Psst: If you missed it today, my Facebook followers got a glimpse at where my sense of humor comes from. Mom can be quite funny! I also hope you have fun celebrating the world not ending tonight :)