I am not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions - those usually get forgotten about by the middle of January! But I do think that the New Year is a good time to reflect on the past year and make some goals for the next. If nothing else, it's nice to have a fresh start. Also, now that these are written down I'll be able to look back at them next December and take stock of my progress.
Goals for 2012:
1. Work out at least four times a week
While I was losing weight I exercised off and on but I found that for me, diet was much more important than exercise for effective weight loss. In fact, I would often be discouraged from working out because I found that it increased my weight (at least temporarily). Now that I have been at goal for almost a year it is time for me to focus less on my weight and more on my health. I want to be healthy, strong, and fit!
2. Stay at goal weight
I first hit my goal weight in January, 2011 and became a lifetime member in March, 2011. I am happy to say I have weighed in at Weight Watchers at least once a month ever since then within my goal + 2 lb range. Ideally, I'd like to get back to my lowest weight so I have a bit to play with (since my version of maintenance is to fluctuate within a 5 lb range).
3. Explore my career options and either secure a full-time, permanent position or gain the necessary experience to be competitive for a position the following year
As I mentioned, I just finished my PhD in November, 2011. I am currently working as a post-doctoral fellow while I finish publishing some of my PhD findings (I am thinking about doing a blog entry on what exactly I did my PhD on one day). However, this is a temporary, stepping-stone position that I am very happy to have while I explore my career options for the future (that's one of the things about a PhD - other than "scientist" it doesn't actually lead directly into a specific career - it's more of a choose your own adventure!)
4. Figure out our housing situation
We are currently renting a lovely (albeit small) condo in a great location. However, depending on how our lives change (jobs, family, etc) moving and/or buying a larger place in a more affordable location might make sense.
5. Start a blog and use it to document and enrich my life
I am in need of more hobbies. Up until now I have been pretty busy with grad school and writing my thesis but now I find myself with time to spare in the evenings. My husband has a lot of his own hobbies so it's important for me to find things I enjoy doing by myself. There are only so many hours I can watch TV/movies and knit without going crazy! It's important to me to be productive - I get antsy if I feel like I'm wasting my time. It will likely take some time to figure out what I'll post about, what my writing style will be like, and how often I'll post, but I think this will be an exciting project. I have a lot of ideas I want to implement! I also want to jazz up the look of this blog, but that too will be a work in progress as I figure everything out!
6. Be less hard on myself (and become a faster writer)
This is a bit of a complicated and I'll probably expand on this subject as time goes by. In general, I am a perfectionist and people pleaser - I don't like to make mistakes and I don't like to disappoint people. On one hand these traits have contributed to my successes but they also cause problems. I want to be a stronger person and worry more about what I think, not what other people think. Usually there is not one right decision anyway and sometimes it's ok to make mistakes. I want to be kinder and more forgiving with myself and I think this may translate into me being kinder and more forgiving with others. One example of this related to this blog is that I want to be able to write posts faster, without agonizing over the best way to say things. I want to be ok with the occasional typo or less than perfect grammar. Maybe I want to experiment with more casual writing styles. This does not mean my writing will be sloppy, but I want to cut down on the anal retentive and learn to accept and embrace my flaws.
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Thanks for joining me on my journey and I look forward to following along and supporting you in yours! I wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy 2012 :)
And because I think a post is more fun with a picture...
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| View from my office of the city |
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