Friday 31 January 2014

Loose Goals


There are many things I'd love to be awesome at, but really am not. Blogging, gaming, cleanliness, patient parenting... are all in this category. I mentioned in my last post that I'm learning to give myself a break. Well, part of that means coming to terms with the fact that I'm not achieving the desired heights in these areas, and that's ..ok! Whilst I aim to improve, neither I nor the world will fall apart if I don't master everything come 2015.

 There will always be more to learn, something else to improve on.

 Previously I might've read that sentence as a mark of failure. A depressing sum up of the arduous, insurmountable task that is life. I'm guilty of having had this sucky, perfectionistic attitude that says if I can't excel I'm not even gonna try.  But I'm starting to realising that if I'm going to get any enjoyment from life I need to take it by the horns, one cow at a time, and maybe even take pride in my err.. cows? milk?  Ok, this word picture really fell apart.. let's just add that to my list of things to work on.
So this year I'm going to keep blogging infrequently, dying in games frequently, cleaning infrequently and yelling at my kids frequently. But maybe, just maybe, it'll be slightly more/less than last year. Woo!
I've read articles and blogs about people with specific goals like quitting sugar, or renovating, or photo journals. The idea of doing something different and chronicling that journey really appeals to me. But what to do?? My husband and I talked about it and failed to come up with anything that we're super passionate about that we could shoot for. Maybe I should blog about the journey of finding a journey to blog about. At least it's an original concept.
For now we'll keep ourselves busy with the little things. Here's some of what I jotted down (aside from the above mentioned).


As a couple:
  • Challenges
My husband had this awesome idea that every fortnight we think of a challenge for each other. It could be something fun, or something we just need to practise/complete. Anything goes. As an example, my first challenge for him was to go for a run twice. Doesn't sound like much, but he loves running and fell out of the habit last year, so I hope to see him get back into it. His challenge for me was to play through a game and then review it, because a) I never finish games and b) I get a taste of what he does - reviewing games. Should be fun!
  • Date nights
With 3 kids - one being a newborn, this really just means sitting in the same room together for at least one night a week. We will alternate who plans the evening.
As a family:
  • Punctuality
Ever since I started driving myself places, I've been 'the one who is always late'. I'm in need of a new image, so this year I'd like to try being 'the one who is always early'.
  • Organisation
This is fairly non-specific and all-encompassing I suppose. The blogging, cleanliness, punctuality, all my goals really, depend on this one. It's important to me because I want to be a better example for my kids - more like my mum. I've set up loose schedules and systems that I'm hoping to loosely follow. I say loose (twice) because I've learned that my family needs wiggle room. We get bored and shifty. If I stumble across some particularly effective methods, I'll let you know.
  • Activities
I like to make family time count and try new things. Hoping we can build on last year and make our own fun (instead of always resorting to pinterest!).
As an individual:
  • Norwegian
As part of a bi-lingual household I really need to up my game. I LOVE speaking Norwegian, but I hate the way I sound and I constantly second guess myself. I need to improve quickly, as I don't want my 2 yr old parroting the awful Auswegian I currently speak.
  • Memories
Inspired by a friend, I've started a 'blessings' jar with the aim of jotting down the little things that make me smile throughout the year. Also, I would really like to see my photos. In frames. In albums. Somewhere, that isn't the computer, where I can look at them and remember that I'm capable of having and being FUN.
These aren't new or earth-shattering ideas, but they are life-changing and for the most part, things I can blog about.
So, it's a start.

Saturday 25 January 2014

2014: A New Year

  It's January.  A new year is here, bringing new opportunities.  It never used to mean anything to me, but the older I get, the more it becomes a time of reflection and refocusing; pulling apart the previous year and looking for ways to improve on it.  I guess it's called growing up. Eek.

  Nowdays I get a real buzz from this 'starting fresh' vibe; a burst of optimism and motivation, which I must latch on to quickly before it fades.  I'm determined to do better in 2014 and honestly, it shouldn't take much to improve on last year.  2013 was the year of LAZY.  I think perhaps, subconsciously, I realised I'd spend 3/4 of the year pregnant, and just wrote 2013 off.

  Anyway, while trying to get more organised one other year I found these great questions that I like to look over to aid the whole process of self evaluation and goal-setting.  As I look over my successes and failures, I learn a lot about myself and my family and what does/doesn't work for us.  I think one of the big lessons of 2013 for me was to give myself a break.


 It is just so easy to get stuck in this mindset of comparison and ideals, which is so heavily promoted by the internet.  Facebook and blogs etc. can paint seemingly perfect pictures of another person's life, or even character - as though they face all their woes with calm and dignity while I'm crying in a corner somewhere.  I'm learning to catch myself and keep a realistic perspective, but also to appreciate my own struggles.  When I say 2014 will be better, I don't mean that it will necessarily be more enjoyable, but hopefully I'll be a little wiser and better equipped to tackle the issues that earlier might have crippled me.

  Writing this post is actually a big step in my personal growth.  You see, I'm terrified of other people's opinions.  I have no idea how to deal with criticism, but I've decided to write this anyway knowing people might even read it and .. not like it. Eep. Please be gentle. :)

  My next goal: to post some goals for this year.  See you then.