Goals for 2015

I'm not usually one to set goals or make resolutions because I believe in the practice of just doing things. (Totally stole that one from Nike...) Sometimes it's nice to have things written down in list form though. So here's a list of things I'd like to achieve this year; call them goals, resolutions, or whatever you want. They are what they are!

(Image from Death to the Stock Photo)
+ Stay positive
This has been an active ongoing goal for the past three years. Though my default disposition is not particularly negative, I still need the occasional reminder to stay on the more positive end of the spectrum. I'm a bit of a realist, so I tend to look at things in a very matter-of-fact way, and the reality is that we live in a world filled with overtly negative energy. I've been doing my best to put more positive energy out there, and I'm going to continue to do so.

+ Be more present, more aware
I spend a lot of time in my head. (It's part of being an INTP personality...) Some would say I'm absent-minded, or forgetful, but really I'm just thinking about something completely unrelated to what's going on around me most of the time. (If you're a fan of Scrubs, think of the classic JD daydream scenes...) I'm trying to make an effort to be more present in social situations and more aware of my surroundings when I'm on my own, and less lost in my thoughts. Like meditation in the real world! Except I'm awful at meditating.

+ Shop local
For the past two years I've been pretty diligent about buying our produce from local farmers. I love supporting our local farmers markets, and everything just tastes better when it doesn't have to travel more than 100 miles to your kitchen! This year I'd like to take it one step further and apply that same philosophy to other aspects of my life. I'd love to get to the point where I'm buying only clothing and other goods made in the USA. I recognize that this is not an easy feat, but just recognizing and being conscious of where things are coming from to begin with is a big step. And of course, this excludes artisanal goods one might find on Etsy or Novica and the like because those are still supporting local artists, even if they're not local in the traditional sense.

+ Keep up a regular yoga practice
Now that I'm working at a yoga studio on Sundays in exchange for unlimited free classes, I really have no excuse not to practice! I'd love to change this goal to "cultivate a home yoga practice", but I recognize that just making it to at least 3 classes per week is a decent goal as it is, and I can work towards a home practice once I'm regularly practicing outside of the house. I'm going to my first workshop (arm balances) on Saturday, and I hope to go to more of those as the year progresses! And since I like having a few concrete goals, I'd like to eventually be able to hold crow pose for 30+ seconds and to do a handstand away from the wall.

+ Participate in an Instagram yoga challenge
In keeping with the previous goal, I started following a few yogis on Instagram for daily inspiration. I've seen a few yoga challenges already but I'm not ready to commit to one yet. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll have one, (or more!) under my belt.

+ Run another 5K
I ran my first ever 5K last year, with some motivation from my siblings. After that I bought some new sneakers and made it a goal to keep running, but then daylight savings happened and now it's dark before and after work, and I really don't want to run around our neighborhood in the dark. Once the sun shows its face again though, I want to start running again and check another 5K off my list! I'd love to do a 10K eventually too, but that may be a goal for next year.

+ Post more recipes on the blog
I don't think I've posted a recipe on here in... probably about a year. Let's change that! I'm sure a lot of you would love to see more recipes on here, and I'm going to make an effort to deliver. I mean, I'm in the kitchen baking for 8 hours a day so.... I really have no excuse. It's the prep that gets me! Taking photos and typing everything up... no more excuses!

+ Keep reading
Last year's goal was to read one book per month, and even if I didn't necessarily read one per month, I ended up reading 14 books total! I'm going to set the same goal for this year. I'm also going to try to read only books from my bookcase - I have way more than 14 books on my to-read/re-read shelf - plenty of reading material to get me through the year.

What are some things you'd like to achieve this year?