Looking Back: January

January has come and gone...wait, what? It's really February??? It feels like September was just last week, but I will trust my computer's calendar. It's never lied to me after all, and I do remember screaming "Happy New Year" not too long ago. It must be right.

2012 is a big year for me. You know that Seinfeld episode where George yells, "It's the summer of George!" Well, just picture me in my rocking chair with my knitting needles, surrounded by dozens of cats screaming "It's the year of Kathryn." But seriously, I don't have a rocking chair.

I may feel like a crazy spinster lately, but 2011 was rough one for me and I knew I had to make big changes.
So late last year I sat down and made a lot of plans and set a lot of goals for 2012. I looked at who I wanted to be and made three categories of goals - finances, health, work - to help me become that person. From that I made dozens of smaller, attainable goals that would get me on the right track overall. While I've stuck to the majority of my goals, there's always room for improvement.

FINANCES:
I made an extremely detailed budget (of course I did) and have been diligent in tracking what I'm spending. My biggest downfall? Shopping. I knew this would be my achilles heal from the start. I love to shop when I'm happy, I love to shop when I'm sad. There's no escaping it and it's really what is preventing me from meeting my financial goals. Even knowing this I find it hard to stop. Has anyone ever been on Intervention for a shopping addiction??

HEALTH:
This is the area I'm proudest of. Sure there's times (such as tonight) where I've bailed on workout plans, but overall I have dragged my butt to the gym/pool/yoga studio more times than not. I feel stronger, sleep better and - best of all - I CAN ALMOST TOUCH MY TOES. I have never been able to do this before (I swear my legs are too long), and I can't wait for that day to come.

WORK:
I had a performance review last week that went extremely well. There will be lots of exciting opportunities in the near future for me, as well as some intense training programs. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I started 2012 off strong and heading into February I'm more determined than ever to complete all of my goals. My challenge for February is to snowboard in the mountains. Tomorrow night I have my first lesson at COP. I'm terrified that I will fall and break something, but a little fear in life never hurt anyone. *knocks on wood*