2016 New Years Resolutions

Better late than never! I always try to get this ready to launch on the first... but I guess we're doing the first of February instead of January this year. Good thing none of my resolutions are being timely.

For those of you who are new - one of the few things that have been constant on my blog are my annual New Years Resolutions. I've always loved how making them public adds a level of accountability. It's also taught me about how to make resolutions that are accomplishable and realistic. I don't always get them all of them done but it is nice to see how much I can get done each year.

So let's see what I have in store for 2016.

Not Be a Bridezilla

One of the biggest things happening in 2016 is my wedding! It's a really exciting time but also stressful for sure. As the planning ramps up, I can definitely understand how some people lose it. I really want to make sure I keep my priorities in line though. From the start, I've wanted this to be a fun event that really reflects my relationship from Dan and keeping that perspective has helped a lot. We've been lucky that we had a reasonable list of "must haves" that are falling in line easily and we're not wasting energy on things that aren't important. However, with any big event, there are always surprises and wild cards and you can't control everything so the goal will be to keep my cool when things don't work out.

If any readers want to help out here - I've already had people get mad at me for choices I've made regarding the wedding. I can't keep everyone happy and I will never be happy if I try to do that. I'm working hard to make this a fun event and to make as many people feel included and thought of as possible. I'm not going to get 100% on this. If in any way I upset in this process, I am sorry. Please don't yell at me. It is not my intention to exclude or alienate anyone.

Maintain or Gain

Here's your typical weight related New Year's Resolution... but with a twist. I lost a lot of weight last year - probably about 15 pounds all together. It was definitely way further than I thought I would get and I don't want to lose anymore weight. I feel more comfortable, my clothes fit, and I feel really healthy. I think my next step is building some more muscle weight. I was doing so much running last year that I think some of the weight I lost was muscle weight and I want to build that back up and really look and feel strong. This past month I've been working on building a solid but fun weekly exercise routine where I'm working hard to get strong and see all the work pay off. I can't imagine anything sexier than having toned back and arm muscles as I toss my bouquet on my wedding day.

Start a Passive Income Business

At a brunch a few weeks ago, some friends suggested I start an Etsy store because I'm always doing crafty things. "Well, I have one" was my response. Yea, I have an Etsy store and it does really ok. Right now I just sell cross stitch patterns, but it's been pretty good. I keep a large quantity of digital downloads and when one is purchased, I just get an email that money has been sent to my Paypal. I don't have to do anything because my buyers instantly get to download they're pattern. I do very little and make about $10-30 a month on two patterns. Two. My goal is to make more creative and fun patterns and get that amount more. All of my work is on the front end of creating the patterns and then the store runs on it's own. I just need to make the time to make my patterns and have the extra dollah bills roll in.

MexiCAN

Last year I had resolutions to go to Mexico and Canada. Of course, I made it to the country that is three states away and not the one I can drive to in 30 minutes. There's no excuse for that. I am definitely making it down there this year.

Watch My Temper

Last year, I got upset about something and it almost cost me a friendship. I've always been a little sensitive and it definitely hurts my relationships. I really want to think about things before getting upset and find more constructive ways about communicating the things that upset me. The trick here will also be to make sure I don't let myself get walked over to the point where I get frustrated. Already this year, I've had a week where I had to back down and back down and back down and finally after a week of it, I completely snapped over something small and spent the whole night crying....

Keep It All About Balance

...which leads to the last resolution. Everything is a give and take and this year is going to be keeping my cool while standing up for myself and giving up something for the wedding to keep another thing that is more important and balance and compromise and patience. This year is going to be amazing and trying and it's going to have a lot of ups and downs. In this first month, I've already seen a lot of that. I want to make sure I keep my perspective and find the balance of when to work hard and when to take time for myself and when to back down and when to fight back. I think working on those skills will be great for building character and give me the right tools to take into a marriage.