No Rules Resolutions 2014

It's that time again. Time to take a look back at all the things you've done in the past year and make some goals for the year ahead.

I have always been a fan of new year resolutions. Something about a clean slate and the promise of a whole new year ahead of you, it's refreshing. 

I've been tossing around some ideas in my head for the past week or so and haven't had too many that have really stuck. In the past, my resolutions have almost always been health/fitness based. Grand plans to exercise everyday and eat super healthy food and stop worrying about the scale (while still magically losing 10 lbs.). Since these ideas keep popping into my head year after year, I think it's safe to say that I've never been particularly successful in achieving them. But maybe successful completion isn't the point.

Maybe more important than the outcome is the process of taking stock of all the things in your life, both good and bad. Taking a step back to think about what you want your priorities to be and comparing all that to how your life is looking right now. Then coming up with new habits to get you back in line with how you want your life to look.

In the past, I've focused on specific, actionable resolutions. Things like: eat a salad every week or work out at least 3 times every week. These are what the HR folks call SMART goals, meaning that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. As an accountant, I love the idea of a perfect goal making formula. But I think it's time for a change.

No more rules. No more formulas. This year is about ME. I'm resolving to throw caution to the wind. Follow my whims. And enjoy the adventure. 

My accounting brain is mumbling in the background right now with ideas like: New Resolutions each Week... or Monthly Themes, but I'm shushing it up. Quiet down you! I've got adventure ahead of me :)

So instead of a year-long resolution, here's a list of things that just sound fun. A 2014 Bucket List of sorts. Enjoy.

1) Travel...to Europe! This is first on the list because it's happening. We've already started planning. We started saving up money last fall with no real idea of what we were saving for. Perhaps a someday house. Perhaps a someday nicer apartment. Perhaps we'll get a nice nest egg started for our someday children. Never did travel even cross our minds, not even "someday travel". Well that's changed. We are going to Europe...in May...first stop Finland. Second and third stops TBD, but I've got my eye on London and Paris.

Source

2) Experiment with Whole and Raw Foods. Ok, this one is health/fitness based BUT I'm not being very specific and I'm not being restrictive. Going vegan has opened my eyes to a whole world of food that I didn't even know existed. I want to keep exploring this year, and I think my first trip will be into the land of Raw. Scary :)

I got this book with some Christmas money. Already enjoying the cauliflower soup. Source 

3) Cultivate a Hobby. Notice I didn't say start or find a hobby. I've done that a million times with a million different things. This year I'm going to clean out my figurative closet of hobbies and pull one out to really focus on developing.  At this very moment I'm thinking sewing might be it, but things like pottery, music, foreign language, and knitting are all stuffed into the closet begging to be let free.

The best part about my bucket list Resolution? I can totally changed this list whenever I want :) No rules, remember.

Happy New Year! I've got a great feeling about 2014.