2013 Year End Review - 2014 Goals

So a quick year end review first.  2013 was not an easy year.  It was full of hard work and seemingly little pay off.  Of course I'm saying that in my whiney voice.  This last 6 months have been very hard but I survived and I'm better for it.  Here is a list of victories for 2013 (not bragging just reminding myself that it wasn't all bad)
1. I have a 4.0 in my doctorate program after 5 classes (Fall 2013 had me taking 3 classes so I'm very surprised by the 4.0)
2. I completed my first 10k with a time of 83:30.  I set the goal at the beginning of the semester so it was a good end to the whole thing.
3. DH has an ownership stake in the local coffee shop.  Never saw that coming.
4.  Ravebaby is alive and well!  Not always an easy thing to do with an active pre-schoolers who also has a wheat allergy.

2013 was okay but I'm ready to kick 2014 in the ding-dong (Per Max Reynolds of Social Bliss).  I'm setting just a few fitness goals and keeping myself flexible since the 10k was a mid-year goal.  I don't want to focus on my weight.  Honestly I'm so sick of that shit!  I'm a big girl and I'm beautiful.  Fitness to me is about being and feeling stronger so that is what I want.
Goal 1 - Complete at least one Mamavation 2-week bootcamp.  This will push me to do some strength building workouts with accountability.  I hate weights but I got to get stronger for goal #2.
Goal 2 - Work my mile time down to 12min miles. I think this is modest and do able.  Right now I'm at 13:30/mile.  I'm at a loss how to do this but I'll get there.
Goal 3 - Run another race.  The weekend doctorate classes have kept me out of most races this last semester but I want to keep completing races.  I think it will keep me running since I"m goal oriented and it will keep me working toward Goal 2.

Goals not set - weight.  This just doesn't seem like a good measure of anything so why bother focusing on it?
Distance - I want to run a marathon at some point but I just don't want to go there yet.  I want to run faster maybe I'll end up running a half-marry or full marry who knows at this point.

So that is the year-end review and where I'm thinking of going.  Let ring in the new year and then kick in the ding-dong!

Open up or die trying

Last nights year end review had a beautiful image. Someone mentioned hatching. The idea that a new person emerged. After it was said it was the word that we all kept using because it was the best way to describe this year. We all hatched. 2012 was a year of lots of change. Change is hard but if you go with the idea of the egg getting out of egg isn't easy. If you don't try, if you don't break open when it is time then you die. You can't be an egg forever. Hatch or die. Open to the world or never see it.

This year has been full of change for me. I feel like I am learning to listen. I feel like I am learning to ask for help. I feel like I am learning to receive help. I hate to quote OWN but this particular idea really has changed my mindset. I have to be prepared to receive.. I can not just ask for help I have to be ready to receive it. I have to accept it. I can't expect people to come to me be rejected and then keep coming back. I must be open to receive. So I am getting open. I am going to see those chances and accept them.

Of course the other side of the coin is being open to giving. For this is turn to Billy Bob Thornton in Love Actually, "I'll give you anything you ask as long as it is something I am willing to give." So true. I give freely. My money my time what little wisdom I have. What I don't give too freely is my emotional state of mind. I rarely talk about my feelings. In part I do that here and I don't like to rehash things again and again and in part because I find people don't have time. I am the soundboard. I don't use the soundboard. Outside of DH and this blog it is very rare for me to open up about things. A good example would be Brianna. I have written at length about her here and hours and hours with DH but I have barely mentioned her to anyone else. She changed my life and yet I haven't mentioned her outside of my safe circle. So I'm going to get more open. When people give me the chance I will take it. I will open up. Not because it would be a benefit to anyone else but sometimes you should bounce off of another human rather than a blog.

2013 is right around the corner. What will this new year bring? What will I feel, do, say? Will I make the world a better place? Will my band finally settle on a name and play a gig? I can't wait to see.