I am joining Erika and Shay for a new link up this year. Each month everyone shares how you… something. This month the topic is goals, resolutions, etc.
I am one committed girl. I don’t set too many goals, but when I do, you better believe I am doing it. I think it goes back to my competitive nature. There is nothing I can’t do when I put my mind to it. So here we go…
My main way to stick to a resolution or goal is to tell people. As long as 1 person knows I am working on something, it is hard for me to not do everything I can to achieve it. I might be more competitive with myself than with others. I just hate to lose.
Food & Drink:
My previous resolutions have focused on food (no more french fries) and drinks (no more soda, drink more water). While I know that moderation is the way to go, I am not so good at it. All or nothing works best for me, so I cut out something for the whole year. It becomes a challenge for me and then I can’t give in. Hello competitive.
Photographs:
A few years ago I got a nice camera for Christmas. That year I decided my resolution would be to take one picture of each boy every day. It only took 7 days before I was taking pictures of my sweet sleeping boys. 🙂 I missed less than 10 days and have a sweet collection of random moments from that year with Jack and Luke. At the beginning of the year, I tried to get the boys to smile and give me those most adorable moments. By March, I gave up and caught more of the slice of life real moments. There are pictures of kids crying, laughing, playing together, playing outside, and of course sleeping. I made Shutterfly share sites for the year and stored the pictures there. I loved this resolution and may revisit it for 2019!

Sweet sleeping picture

Sweet boy

Silly Jack

Happy Luke
Exercise:
3 years ago at Christmas dinner (2015), My cousin convinced me to run a half marathon for another cousin’s 40th birthday. So I signed up for the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend. So in 2016, my goal was to run my first half marathon. Then I got a little antsy and didn’t want to wait that long. I ended up running my first 2 half marathons that year and added a few 10ks and 5ks to the mix.

1st 1/2 marathon – I earned that magnet!

2nd 1/2 marathon – VA Beach
Last year, my January Fun Run Box challenge was to run at least 1 mile every day. I did it and once February 1st hit I kept going. I successfully ran at least 1 mile every day for an entire year. When January 1st came around this year, I had no reason to stop. So I guess I am in a real-deal run streak. Today is day 375 and there is no end in sight.

That’s me, in the green tank top, running 3.65 miles for day 365 with some running friends.
I set New Year’s resolutions for a long time. Two years ago, I started something different. I am a member of the Fellow Flowers Crew and decided that it was time for me to really do Declare It Day. Declare It Day is more than writing a new year’s resolution, it is a national movement inspiring women to put dreams into words and words into action by declaring a goal they are committed to achieving. These are goals that push you out of your comfort zone and help you define your story for the year. There are small, or big, celebrations along the way, friends/accountability partners to encourage you, and major pride upon accomplishing your goal. Here are my 2016 and 2017 Declare It Day goals.

2016: I nailed that 1st, & 2nd, half marathon, spent more time with my husband and kids, but I mostly spent less time mindlessly scrolling my iPad when my family was around.

2017 goal 1: My goal was to read 50 books, drink more water & less soda, and eat more fruits and vegetables. I am well on my way to achieving all of these. 🙂

2017 goal 2: At this point, I was 1 month and 4 days into a run streak and I wasn’t completely sure I could keep it up all year, but I was determined to run 1017 km. Fast forward to RSD 375 – I’m totally doing this!
Last year, 2 girlfriends and I got together, did some yoga and declared our goals. This year, I am hosting a Declare It Day brunch for some of my closest girlfriends. We will move our bodies, eat some yummy breakfast, and declare our goals on February 3rd.
So, that’s how I goal set. I pick challenging goals and I go for it. I am already working on my DID goals for 2/3/18, but I haven’t quite nailed them down yet.
How do you do resolutions, goals, etc.? Feel free to add some suggestions in the comments! Happy Wednesday!