Resolutions, Revamped

Hi friends, long time, no blog. When I sat down and wrote the annual Winter Blues post, feeling my usual January self, I decided that maybe I should do something about it. Looking back at my resolutions, they are some combination of too vague, and too hopeful. I don’t mean that in a negative way! They just need some help.

So, with January bittersweetly under our belts, (why bittersweet? my friend’s pretty sentiment here) I feel renewed and ready to get real with myself and set some specific goals in addition to my OG resolutions.

1. Read at least one book a month. I love reading, but it has taken a backseat to youtube and tv and whatever else for the better part of a year now. That is, until I became fully immersed in the world of Harry Potter, and charged through 2.5 books of the series in the last two weeks of January. In doing so, I realized that I have a literal pile of books that I’ve been collecting over the past year, and it’s time to take a note from my friend Crystal, and read more!
2. Exercise, but more importantly, set goals for exercise. Last week, I cancelled my gym membership. I took a hard look at myself and my lifestyle and the gym is just not for me. I shudder to think at how much money I’ve wasted. Instead, I ordered an at-home workout regimen, (this has worked for me in the past) and recruited my husband for guidance with lifting. I am proud to say that I’ve worked out four of the last seven days! I’m not going to beat myself up over missteps when it comes to this, but I think it’s important to hold myself accountable, and set weekly goals instead of an overall 2018, ‘exercise more’ resolution.
3. Give up dairy. As a true blue greek yogurt fan, it pains me to say this, but the science is there and dairy is not great. If you process it well, I say more power to you! But, I have troublesome skin, lethargy, stomach issues, and just about every other symptom of a lactose intolerance. I’ve replaced greek yogurt with almond milk yogurt (not bad), shredded cheese with lactose free shreds (hey, have to start somewhere), and haven’t had ice cream in a sadly long time. If any of you have any banner ideas on how to successfully replace pizza, I’m all ears.
4. Stop picking my face. Have I talked to you guys about this before? This is weird and embarrassing, but I have obsessively picked my face since I was about 12. This terrible habit is often associated with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders and I kind of hate myself for it. I create problems that weren’t there to begin with, and exacerbate pre-existing issues. Right now, I’m on a super odd medication that’s supposed to significantly improve my skin in 10-12 weeks, (I’m on week 3) and I need to buckle down and let the medicine do it’s job. If you know how to knock this habit, PLEASE share your magical wisdom.
5. Practice kindness. This week was particularly rough and I caught myself wishing we lived in a kinder world. One evening though, while I was moping around feeling sorry for myself, I realized that I haven’t been too kind either. Just because people can’t hear what I’m saying or thinking, doesn’t make my sometimes mean-spirited thoughts right. Kindness is an inside->out readjustment, and I have no room to wish everyone was gentle and nice when I myself am sometimes malicious in thought and word. It’s time for me to put some goodness into the world!
6. Save more. I’ve always fancied myself a good saver, but after having a conversation with coworkers about retirement, (2055 here I come! Assuming the age of retirement isn’t like 75 by then… wompppp) 401k, and x% of each paycheck going into savings, I felt the struggle in such a real way. Do I want to be a person who never goes out to eat, never buys that new sweater, and only stay-cations just to retire at 60 instead? Absolutely not. But, I do want to be the person that doesn’t buy every funny graphic tee I’ll never wear just because it made me giggle.
7. Give myself a break. Back to that over-arching theme of self care, I am sometimes way too hard on myself. I don’t have to have perfect skin or abs. I don’t have to be nice to the bitch that rides my bumper through my neighborhood. I don’t have to read a book about politics when I’d rather watch a Youtube video that will make me laugh. Life is all about little self improvements and reaching tiny goals that pan out to the bigger, more improved picture. I’m working on me this year, and honestly, I’m really proud of what I’ve done in just the last two weeks, so I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2018 brings!

I’ve seen a lot of posts like this over the past week or two. Do you guys have any new resolutions and goals? I would love to hear some!

xoxo laughing at leigh ann

P.S. Let’s celebrate getting through the Hard Times that were January via a little A Story Told! Also, I bought a graphic tee that made me chuckle today… but I used a gift card.. it’s all about balance??