Last Year I blogged about my
2011 New Year's Aspirations vs New Year's Resolutions and now that its officially 2012 I thought I would look back and see if I achieved any of them before I list my 2012 Aspirations.
2011 New Year's Aspirations:
1. Actually put money into my non-existent savings account. (My Mother
will scoff at this one because she knows this will be my hardest
aspiration). That means spending less money on whatever I spend money
on, I don't know where it goes. My American Express bill is always a
surprise.
2011 Reality: Somewhat accomplished. I've started spending more wisely and my American Express bill is less of a surprise every month (except for December, all those thoughtful Christmas Gifts and catch up dinner and drinks really add up). My Savings account has increased, but not to a level I would want (or all those financial advisors would suggest, but I'm working on it).
2. Clean up my dirty mouth. I have the innate ability to throw in a
"dirty" word in almost every conversation and sometimes those words are
not appropriate for the audience. I need more than orbit gum to clean
up this dirty mouth, I need a rubber-band around my wrist and sheer
determination to keep my language cleaner.
2011 Reality: Yea, let's be honest. It was a long shot. I've cleaned up my mouth in business meetings, around my Granny (or I try to reduce the amount), and with company that I should know better, but if I'm not in a conference room or if I'm with friends I drop the f-bomb like it's hot. I did get props from my friends Mike & Jean Crooks "for displaying the best comedic timing with foul words. She's pretty much the Michael Jordan of f-bombs."
3. Limit the number of excuses. I'm very good at coming up
with multiple excuses to not do something. I aspire to stop making so
many excuses for any number of activities like: going to the gym, doing
the dishes or laundry, participating in activities out of my comfort
zone, etc.
2011 Reality: I think I've improved at least 75%. I'm still good at coming up with an excuse for not doing something when I know I should, but I've also come to realize I am who I am and there are times when I need to respect my own personal boundaries and it's OK to say no or not participate. But I've done really well at making sure I go to pilates class when I sign up (dance is another situation), doing my laundry because its nice to have clean clothes and I'm still working on the activities portion. That one is always a little harder for me.
4. Dance, just dance. I need to make a commitment to (1) sign-up for class and (2) show up to class.
2011 Reality: I did it. I took ballet all Summer and into the Fall. Tap Winter into Spring. I let myself lag and make excuses not to show up to classes. I need to make a commitment to myself and not let other activities get in the way of something I've always loved. We'll put this back on the list for 2012.
5. Cook Dinner a minimum 3 nights a week. This aspiration can be looped
into #1 and #3. I like to cook but (#3) find an excuse not to and end
up ordering from seamless web (#1).
2011 Reality: Did it, Accomplished it & Kicked its Ass! I made some awesome meals this year and continue to surprise myself with my amazing Top Chef skills. The hard part is finding recipes to make each week.
I still have aspirations I need to work on, but I think I did pretty well in accomplishing my 2011 New Year's Aspirations.
Now on to 2012 ...
