I'm sooo ready to say "hello" to 2013. Bring it on! 2012 was a year of extreme highs and lows for me. I'm looking forward to a more emotionally stable year, that's for sure. Here are some highlights of the year that was:
- Great year professionally. I feel like I did good work this year. There's room for improvement, but there were no major catastrophes and I met 95% of my fundraising goals for the organization.
- Gained 30 pounds in eight months, but, in October, I decided to make some permanent changes to my weight and I've lost 22 pounds in two months so far.
- More than one significant relationship in my life either vanished or changed which was painful, but I now know how I'm perceived by these people and truth is good.
- Took more day-trips with the family this year. It may not always seemed like a good idea at the time, but, insisting on "whole-family time out of the house" months ago is resulting in stronger bonds between all of us now. That too is good.
When I set personal goals for the coming year, I write them down as if I've already reached them. It's a challenging exercise because it causes me to really discern what I have control over in my life and what I don't. I have also found that setting goals that are beyond one year is ridiculous. It's a good idea to have a vision of what you want, but a successful and happy life requires flexibility and adaptation. This article is a great example of setting yourself up for utter failure.
So, with that, here is how "2013" turned out for me.
Spiritual
- I feel so much fuller and richer now that I've stopped focusing on serving God and started focusing on knowing God. I didn't realize how superficial my relationship with Him was. I've been reading more about faith and putting more of my life into God's hands. I really took the Church's "Year of Faith" to heart and I love the knowledge and peace I've gained.
Marriage & Family
- I had so much fun on our family long weekend getaway this year. This one is a left over from last year.
- My interaction with the kids has been much more focused and positive. I've really enjoyed playing games with them more often and I've tried to always have a positive tone in my voice and be more affectionate with both of them. We laugh more and have enjoyed each other more than ever.
- The weekend trip Steve and I took to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary was perfect. I really wanted do something super meaningful for him to celebrate what an amazing husband, person and friend he is to me.
Personal
- I did it! I stuck to my plan and lost 65 pounds this year! I hit my weight loss goal and I feel fantastic. I have so much more energy and I look great. As a reward to myself, I bought those black boots I've wanted for forever. Love them!
- I'm in such a better place emotionally now that I believe in my self-worth. I don't react so intensely and personally to the negative things people say and do to me.
Professional
- The special events for the Club were so successful this year! Plus, I love that I was able to add my own personal touch to each of them. I had so much fun this year! Met this goal last year, and it's a good one, so I'm keeping it on again.
Financial
- I did a really good job working with Steve in getting our financial house in order. Last year was a disaster. But, I improved my communication with him so we were always aware of what was going to be spent before it was. We caught up on all our bills and our emergency fund is fully-funded. Plus we had plenty of money saved for Christmas this year.
