Down to the Wire

The most challenging thing I ever heard regarding New Year's resolutions was that it makes no sense to wait til New Year's to make them...if you really have a new goal you want to accomplish, why not start it the day you decide on it?

I don't know exactly where that leaves me -- blogging about my goals almost a full month after the New Year -- except that I like knowing that my success isn't hinged on when I start. It's just hinged on me actually starting. (Shout out to all the Acuff "Start" fans.)

I've made mistakes before regarding New Year's resolutions -- they were too plentiful, too vague, and too lacking in passion. I'm trying to be a bit choosier this year, with the hopes that I'll actually remember them and therefore attain them. I've also made the mistake of not recording them. I actually found myself at the beginning this just-past Christmas season scouring the internet for any record of last year's promises to myself. Couldn't find them. So now I'm here, writing them down, hoping that it will help both you and me keep me accountable.

(Don't worry, I wrote that correctly...and you can trust me. I was an English major.) 

So, drumroll please...my goals for 2016!

1. Get physical! 

Sorry...I couldn't think of a more (or less, even) fitting and awkward way of phrasing it. This one actually started back in October for me when I did my first round of the 21 Day Fix. I don't know what really compelled me to begin (not self-hate though, so yay!!)...I think it was just the realization that healthy people workout on a regular basis. I want to be healthy people. For specifics sake (ha! read that five times fast!), I want to finish three more rounds of the Fix by March 28th (Hig2Point0's first birthday!) and use that time to figure out what an appropriate and reasonable workout routine would look like for me. I finished my first round already (seven pounds down! holla!), and am starting again next Monday! If you've thought about doing the Fix, or anything really, you should join me!! I am so much better at life when I know other people are lifing at the same time. ("Lifing" is fine. See the aforementioned English major disclaimer.)

2. Be More Housewife-y 

Okay, I know..."SMART" goals are SPECIFIC, and "housewife-y" seems a little vague, right? Be cool, baby, I know what I mean. I want to develop a consistent and workable home routine. Between moving this past October (Oh, did I mention that? We moved. It's awesome. More on that later...) and and then living through the holidays (you know what I'm saying...), I feel desperate for some structure. I have finally accepted that housework is required, so I want to figure out when I'm going to do it.
Another note in the same vein involves food prep...I make a bunch of stuff from scratch. (I'm not trying to be awesome, I'm just effectively being cheap.) Chicken stock, tortillas, bread, jam, soup, freezer meals...it all takes time. What time? I don't know yet, but I'm giving myself a year to figure it out.
SMART goals are also MEASURABLE and ATTAINABLE (I think, I'm sort of pulling these from something I read/heard/slept on a long time ago...) and in that regard I'm going to shoot to unpack one box a week, and be unpacked and "settled" by the end of the year.

3. Hygmalion! 

Okay, so last year (or maybe the year before...again...these things need to be trackable!) I made a resolution to generate a profit by selling something handmade. It's sort of a secret embarrassing dream of mine to have my own semi-functional business. Well...not all resolutions get left in the dust: I cleared a profit of about $20 last December after opening my Etsy shop! (Imagine that little cry-laughing emoji right here.) I was sort of pushed out of my nest in opening it, but I'm glad it happened. In fact, I'd like to see it grow! I actually have a few new items for the shop that I'll be showing you later this week. (And yes, I'll address the weird name.) So my (very modest) goals for the shop are to double my profits from last year (cry-laughing emoji again), and add new items at least once a month. 

4. Sew Myself Silly 

This one is pretty straight-forward and doesn't require a lot of backstory: I want to improve my sewing skills. Did you know that SMART goals have a TIME limit? Well...I think they do! There is such a thing called #MeMadeMay that encourages seamstresses (or seamsters....seamsti, I suppose) to wear and #share items of clothing that they made themselves every day for the month of May. I want to participate this May. I plan on sharing at least some of the items here, but if you'd like to see all of them you can follow me on Instagram. If you plan on participating, too, let me know!! As I mentioned about the Fix...I "life" better with other people!


That's it! I think I can handle four goals, and I'm pleased with the different paces and timelines I have set out for them.

If you've set goals for yourself, for this year or otherwise, what are they? Do you have any good tips for success? Also, does anyone actually know what the SMART goal acronym stands for? (Final cry-laughing emoji!)