Getting Real With Resolutions For The New Year

So now that my waistline is a bit thicker from all of the Christmas cookies and my wallet a bit thinner from so much shopping, I think it's a perfect time to sit down and think about some resolutions for the new year. In the past, I've written them down on paper, never shared them with a soul and ultimately lost that piece of paper by the end of the year. I'm trying something new here by sharing with all of you so I can really hold myself accountable...and can't blame anything on losing a list.

When I sat down and thought about it, the majority of my resolutions for the new year seemed to be centered around the following quote.

Sure I still want to lose a few pounds & not that I'm scared of doing things but sometimes I think that fear can stop us in our tracks. Here are a few on my list: 

1. Travel more. I have a list a mile long of places near & far that I want to visit and while I'm not scared of the travel aspect I can talk myself out of it for various reasons. I'm afraid that I'll spend more money than anticipated and won't have as much in my savings or that I'll run out of vacation days and miss out on something else that comes up. Whatever the fear, they're not good reasons. I'm young, healthy and don't have anyone but myself to care for so now's the time for more travel.

2. Stop comparing my life to others'. I find it easy to see where someone else is at in life and compare mine to theirs. Sometimes I'm happy with the comparison, sometimes I'm afraid that I'll never stack up or accomplish the same milestones. In 2014, I can't measure my life against others' because really, it's like comparing apples to oranges. What might be good for someone else in that moment might not be good for me and I can't be afraid of doing things just for myself. 

3. Join a team or take a class. I'm not in college anymore but there are still so many different options out there to play a sport or explore an interest. I can't be afraid to try something new or to commit to a group for a period of time because I just might have the time of my life or meet some amazing people in the process.

4. Be more vocal. In all aspects of my life - at work, with friends, among family. No one is going to think my ideas are crazy or stupid and if they do, I can't be afraid to cut ties. I hate conflict & will usually do anything I can to avoid it but this year I need to stop fearing it so I can resolve issues & ultimately have more fun.

So there's my short, text heavy list of resolutions for 2014. You can hold me to them...in fact, please do! What are yours for the new year? I'd love to hear them!

Looking Back on 2013 to Look Forward to 2014

As I started to make a list of New Year's resolutions and things I'd like to accomplish in 2014, I found it impossible to do without first looking back on everything that happened in 2013. Getting personal, I thought I'd share a few:

January: I rang in the New Year with my favorite guy and some friends in Boston.

February: A month full of snow. From blizzard Nemo dumping feet of snow on Boston to traveling up to Maine for a weekend with friends, snow was definitely the theme.

March: St. Patty's Day came and went and I had the chance to catch up and celebrate our heritage with a great friend from college!

April: The Boston Marathon bombings happened and the city banded together to help those in need. Being at the Red Sox game after they caught the pair was a priceless, emotional experience.

May: Ended the month on a high note traveling to Paris, France with the BF. Tried escargot, drank lots of wine and saw all of the sights.

June: On the tail end of the trip, spent the first few days of June in Rome gorging on food & each day not coming any closer to learning how to navigate the city on foot.

July: Spent several lazy summer weekends on the Cape swimming, kayaking & grilling.

 August: Spent a perfect weekend on Nantucket with friends and can't wait to go back to the island next summer. I, the least animal loving person, held a teacup pig for the first (and probably the last) time after a friend bought one in August. And finally, Why Not? Not Why was born.

September: Ventured back to Holy Cross for some tailgating and the Holy Cross homecoming football game.

October: Celebrated the wedding of one of the sweetest couples I know and got to see another part of the country with my bf.

November: Annual turkey trot and Thanksgiving on the Cape with my cousin from California and great neighbors.

December: The most wonderful time of year. I took a lot of time off from work and enjoyed the holidays with loved ones. To end the year, I watched Holy Cross hockey play in a Frozen Fenway game.

What did you do in 2013? Hope everyone had a great year and can now look forward to 2014!