What I loved about 2015:
A new principal who has been working to facilitate big changes in our school. She is not always appreciated by everyone, especially those who would like to dig in their heels and stay where they are, but the changes are needed and I am excited about the direction we are headed.
The opportunities I have had this year for traveling and spending quality time with my family. It is so fun to watch my niece develop and learn.
My new kitchen! It was so worth the headaches of construction and the cost of the remodel.
So many opportunities for learning! I attended All Write last summer and loved it! I also went to Summer Spark, which is a new conference started in Milwaukee last year. This fall, I was able to attend a workshop with Lucy Calkins. I love being able to learn new things and solidify the understandings I already had.
There are so many other things, big and small, that I had to celebrate in 2015. I love the Celebrate This Week blog posts because they helped me to focus on the positive.
My goals for 2016:
One of my biggest stressors is the way I am not as organized with my financial picture as I would like to be. I have to be better at this. I plan to have a budget and stick to it. I have a couple of apps that are helping me with keeping better track of things and I know this will be much better from here on out.
I want to write more. I really got lazy with my blogging this fall and I would also like to do some more writing of stories and possibly a book. Daily writing is my goal. I have some plans for some structures that will help me make the time for this.
I set my reading goal at 130 books. I like that I was less obsessed this year with finishing a ton of books. I have given myself permission to do other things and have taken some of my reading time back. I still am a voracious reader. I just also have other things I want to do.
I am excited to be participating in the Whole Life Challenge starting January 16th (if you are interested in joining my team, click here). I need to be healthier and lose weight. I think the fun online game way of doing this will be motivating for me. I am looking forward to eating cleaner and really focusing on some healthy habits each day.
I am using a Bullet Journal for the first time in earnest this year. I did a variation of this for a couple months in 2015, but I had a planner and felt guilty that I wasn’t using it so my bullet journal practice fizzled out. I am excited to use this system because I think it will really help me with productivity and keeping track of some things that I should be keeping better track of. I am looking forward to a small bedtime reflection routine which will include this tool.
While looking around the internet at some different bullet journals, I stumbled upon a description of The Miracle Morning. The small description of this routine intrigued me, so I bought the book and read it. I had already been starting to rethink my morning routine and this book came into my life at just the right time. I am excited about implementing the Life SAVERS routines into my mornings. This is a great way for me to be able to incorporate a daily writing time. I am also happy to think about a structure in which I also will develop a meditation practice and do some exercise every morning.
I know that this all sounds like a lot. I just really think this is the time for me to take the bull by the horns and focus on some self-improvement. I hope I will be able to stick to the routines that will help me to do so.
Happy New Year!
