#9: Appreciate
In which moment did you find yourself flooded with gratitude? How will you rally around gratitude in 2012?
I don’t think there’s one big moment that I could choose for this one. Despite the times when I complain, I’m honestly so grateful and appreciative of a lot of things in my life. I may not always show it, but I feel it. Like, every time I’m out with one of my friends I can’t help but feel grateful for their friendship. As I get older, I realize more and more that connecting with someone isn’t an every day occurrence. It’s rare to find someone you can truly be yourself with and confide in and I try not to ever lose sight of that. Or when I’m at family get-togethers. Even though my relatives can be crazy and slightly overbearing, would I really want it any other way? Probably not. I love that we all live so close each other. I appreciate that I had the opportunity to travel this year, connect with people through writing, read more, survive everything at work. The list goes on. While it’s important to appreciate those big moments, I think it’s equally important to appreciate the little ones too and everything in between.
#10: Create
Share a creative project you undertook this year (art, writing, DIY, cooking, home decoration, crafts, photography … whatever comes to mind). How do you use your creativity to express yourself?
On my personal blog, I participated in a photo challenge recently that was run by Positively Present (one of my favorite sites!). It lasted the entire month of November and the focus was on gratitude, which really appealed to me. Taking photos every day based on the daily topics (favorite food, memories, happiness, books, etc) forced me to think, be creative and focus on the things around me. I really enjoyed it and even kind of miss it now. Plus it gave me a chance to try something new and connect with other bloggers online. Even if you’re not into photography but just love taking pictures on your phone (I adore the Instagram app on my iPhone!), I’d definitely recommend trying it!
(My photo for Day 28: Nighttime)
#11: Try
What 12 new things do you want to do/accomplish in 2012?
1. Find a new job
2. Move out
3. Do at least one thing (I don’t know what) that’s outside my comfort zone.
4. Travel somewhere new. (More travel and roadtrips in general.)
5. Go to the beach this summer (simple I know but every year I say I want to go to the beach and it never happens.)
6. Read 100 books (Funfetti inspired this one!)
7. Meet someone / go out on a date.
8. Save more money (like come up with a plan/budget and stick with it).
9. Go to more concerts.
10. Travel somewhere by myself (I think about going to California to see my cousin all the time, but my fear of planes always stops me).
11. Take a class - yoga, zumba, maybe beginner’s ballet for adults. Something!
12. Every year, I tell myself that I should learn a new web programming language to stay on top of things professionally. But I never do and I really should.
What was your healthiest habit of 2011? What would you like to change or do differently in 2012?
This seems kind of silly but my healthiest habit is probably cutting back on soda. I’ve always lived off of soda (Code Red Mountain Dew, to be exact) and would drink a couple bottles per day in college. Now I only have soda once a week at most which is HUGE for me. Instead I stick to raspberry iced tea, water, ginger ale (I don’t think it’s really soda) and of course, coffee. It’s such a seemingly small change but health-wise, I think it does make a difference.
I think next year, I’d like to be more active. Join a class at the gym with a friend (I always mention yoga or zumba) or go on walks more often. During the summer on my days off, my cousin and I would go on this trail near where we live and walk for about 3 miles. I’d always feel so good afterward and it’s the kind of thing I need to do more next year.
