2011 Reading Challenge

As December rolled on, I was a little worried that I wouldn't reach my goal of reading 30 books in 2011, but with just a day to spare, I did it.  This is the first time that I set a reading goal like this, so I'm very excited to reach it (and if you count the hour-long short story that I listened to on the 30th, surpass it!).  You can check out what I read in 2011 here.

Seeing as how I almost didn't reach my goal, I don't want to up my goal for 2012 by too much because I want it to be challenging yet achievable.  So I'm thinking 32.  There may be a couple rereads in there (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, for sure), but I'm definitely hoping to read more great stories, fiction and non-fiction, and more books that inspire me to grow.

You can check out some of my possible reads for 2012 here.

Finish Year: My Resolutions

I'm happy to say that I made it through the brainstorming phase of my personal Finish Year project and settled on some resolutions!  ::happy dance::

In no particular order:

BE HEALTHY
Do a Your Shape workout three times a week (very excited to try this Kinect "game")
[possible "be healthy" resolutions for the future: keep a food diary, plan healthy meals]

BE ROMANTIC & LOVING
Weekly date nights with the hubs
[Just FYI, this will probably be the resolution that I elaborate on the least in the future, but I will still update generally on my progress.]
  
BE THOUGHTFUL
Send out birthday and anniversary cards

BE DEVOTED
Spend 15 minutes with God everyday

BE CREATIVE
Do one craft a month

BE ORGANIZED
Tackle one organization project a month
Track our account daily
Spend 15 minutes straightening up each evening

In order to track my progress, I plan to use the Resolution tools on the Happiness Project Toolbox website.  There you can keep track using the chart on the website, and you can also print out a copy.  I'm going to print out a blank chart to keep in my planner so that I can check things off each night.

I promise it looks better (no missing lines) when you create one through the Toolbox and aren't print-screening it.

Then I can use my print-out to update the chart on the website whenever I decide to do that.

Also, I want to mention that my resolutions are not set in stone.  If I want to up it to four or five workouts a week in a couple months, I can do that.  If I want to make it a goal to spend more than 15 minutes with God, I can change it.  If one of them isn't really working out, I am free to admit that, and if I want to add something later on, I am free to do that also.  I want to give myself room to succeed and not feel like these are rigid expectations on my life.  GRACE is going to be a big theme for me as I seek to "finish" these things.  I want to rely on God to keep going with them, and I want to allow myself to be imperfect.  What's important to me is growth and improvement and learning to depend on God in all these things.

With all this in mind, I'm very much looking forward to the new year!

Finish Year: Brainstorming

Jon Acuff has been blogging this past week about what he is calling "Finish Year."  In the first post, he shared that he is often great at starting things but not so great at finishing them.  I totally feel him on that.  What I feel even more is being great at brainstorming and planning things in my head but then not even actually starting them.  Sad, I know.  So I've been thinking about what I want to "finish" and ultimately be in 2012.  As a first step, I'm making a list of what I want to be, and then I'll brainstorm ways to achieve those things.  And even this list might get pared down in an effort to make my Finish Year realistic and doable.

Without further ado, in 2012 I want to be... [in no particular order]

creative

organized

devoted

thoughtful

romantic

healthy

If you want to read more about Finish Year, here are the links to Jon's blogs:

I dare you to do this with me.
How to build a "Finish List."
Don’t overkill your resolutions.
Fuzzy goals fail. Here’s how to fix yours.
What are you going to finish in 2012?