If you’ll remember, back in June, I made a list of Summer Goals. Ten simple goals to strive for during summer. About two weeks after that post, I promptly forgot about that list and then got thrown into the hurricane that was my sad season so I had even less motivation to complete these goals.
But I think I needed the time off from striving towards goals and just live in the moment for once. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about how I want to end 2012. It’s been a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. And I want to end the year on a high note, so I’ve been crafting ten goals to lead me through the end of this year.
1. Visit the dentist and schedule a consultation for my wisdom teeth.
I failed to make my second dentist appointment after my first one back in March so I’m a bit overdue for another cleaning. My wisdom teeth seem to hurt me off and on so I know they need to come out, but I’ve been hesitant about making my consultation appointment because of time off and money issues. But I know it’s something that has to be done and I have to stop dragging my feet about it.
2. Lose 15 lbs.
I usually don’t like to put a weight loss number with my goals, but I think this is a good one to strive for and it gives me a solid number to attain over the next 3 months. It’s a little over a pound per week (and in the midst of the holiday season!) but I need this goal to use as motivation to kick my weight loss into high gear. I’ll still have a lot to lose after these 15 lbs, but I’m hoping this will be the kick-start I need to bring me into 2013.
3. Carve a pumpkin and roast pumpkin seeds.
I didn’t carve a pumpkin last year, but I did attempt it in 2010. It wasn’t very pretty and then, for some reason, I just wasn’t up for carving another one last year. But nothing really brings in the holiday season quite like carving pumpkins so I’m making this a fun little goal to accomplish in October. Even if the pumpkin turns out horrible, at least I’ll have the pumpkin seeds to console myself with. Mmm!
4. Finish “Twenty Something, Twenty Everything”.
I had to put this goal on the list just because I’m still stuck on that darned journaling passage and I need some type of motivation to finish the book. It’s not like the book is terrible or hard to get through, I’ve just been lazy in picking it up and getting through all the journaling portions. Hopefully, if I set aside time every weekend to read through at least a few pages, I can cross this one off my list soon!
5. Spend a long weekend in Orlando.
I haven’t had a true Orlando weekend since July 2011 and that one was a short one, in itself. I want a true long weekend (3-4 days) there to enjoy the hotel, the amusement parks, and being in Orlando. I love that city so much and since my last foray there was for my mom’s marathon (i.e., NOT a vacation!), I need time to enjoy the city again. I’m hoping to go away for my birthday with my mom. We would leave the Friday after Thanksgiving and come back Monday or Tuesday so I am crossing my fingers that I can get my finances in order to make this happen.
6. Start writing again.
Whether it’s for 30 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week, I want to get back into writing fiction. I have so many story ideas flitting around in my brain on a daily basis (it’s one of my favorite ways to escape when I’m bored!) that I need to just start writing. I’m letting lesser important things take precedence over the biggest dream I have for my life: to be a successful published novelist. My goal for the next 3 months is to just write on a regular basis.
7. Join a book club.
I was going to attend my first book club meeting yesterday afternoon but the meeting fell at the same time as my nephew’s birthday party so I’m hoping to attend their next meeting in October.
8. Participate in The Color Run.
Yep – it’s hitting St. Petersburg on December 15th and you better believe I am finding myself at the starting line of this race! I love the entire idea of this race and even though I’m sure I’ll be super slow, it’s one of those races you just run for fun and I honestly cannot wait. (Any locals doing this race, too?)
9. Drink more water than soda.
I am slowly trying to break myself from my soda addiction. I thought I had it under control earlier this year but it has once again snuck up on me! I really think my weight issues stem from lack of exercise, drinking too many caloric beverages, and too many sweets. The exercise issue I can’t help right now (I have the OK to do light exercise which is mainly walking, but wearing sneakers puts a lot of pressure on my broken bone) but I can work on drinking less soda and sugary Starbucks drinks (as well as the sweets issue). I know I drop weight easily when I cut down on my sugar intake. And since the cold turkey route doesn’t work for me (I’ve tried it – multiple times), I just want to focus on drinking more water than soda for now.
10. Host an end-of-year holiday giveaway.
I hosted my first-ever giveaway on this blog during Christmas Week 2010 and since then, I’ve tried to plan other giveaways but I never follow through. This will be a fun goal to achieve, I’m sure!
And there you have it! My 10 goals for the last 3 months of 2012. I can’t believe we’re at the last quarter of the year, how did that happen? This is my absolute favorite time of year and I’m excited for the holiday season to kick into gear. I tried not to be too ambitious with my goals, but I’m actually very excited to get back into goal setting and I’m starting to feel more like myself lately. Three cheers for that!
Do you have any goals for the end of 2012? Anything special you’d like to see in my holiday giveaway (I need ideas!)?
This is my favorite time of the year too and I’m so excited that it’s finally October!
My goals for the next three months include continuing to grow my business, begin running again, and finalize plans to move to Canada.
Hmmmm holiday giveaway ideas: favorite holiday movie/book, coffee mug, cookie mix, a scarf, fun jewelry!
Moving to Canada! I was wondering if this would be happening soon… 🙂 So excited for you!!
Thanks for the giveaway ideas! I’m going to have so much fun putting something together.
Can I make a suggestion about the soda and water thing? It’s actually a trick I use whenever I drink alcohol — for every “drink” I drink a glass of water. Maybe you could try drinking two glasses of water for each soda you have? That way it’s easier to stay on top of the water, and honestly, I think it might make you want to drink less soda if you’re full from water. Also, I haven’t had a soda since I was in Paris last March and whenever I want one, I drink bubbly water. Maybe sub one of those per day for a soda?
I don’t want to give you a ton of ass-vice, I just know the water-per-drink thing worked for me really well. Also, yay hydration!
As for the Color Run, I walked it with a fractured foot and I was not alone in my slowness 🙂 It’s really fun!
Any advice helps! Right now, I do pretty good during the week. I generally drink maybe 2-3 during the week depending on how much I eat out. It’s the weekends that trip me up so I think your advice is really helpful! I’m hoping that by not buying any for home (and not keeping cash on me to buy one at work!), it’ll help me ease into drinking less and less. It’s my biggest problem! I just love it so much. 😉
Ohhhhh I love this self-affirmative goals post- I mean it really is right up my alley! These are super achievable, super motivational goals and I promise to do my best to hold you to them 😀 Best of luck darling! <3
Woo! Yes, help me stick to them. Especially the dentist appointment and drinking less soda. Two of the biggies!
Carving a pumpkin is on my fall to-do list, too! I haven’t in such a long time and I think it would be fun to do with Erik (or by myself, because he’s unwilling to try anything he thinks MIGHT be lame… boo). The Color Run sounds sooo fun, but I missed the ones around here… and also, I don’t really run, heh. Good luck with your goals!! :]
I’ll probably end up walking most of The Color Run, depending on when I can start running again. But it seems like such a neat event and a fun experience! I wish I could fly you down to participate with me. 🙂
My dentist wants me to look into getting my wisdom teeth removed, but I think he just keeps pressuring me because he gets a big fat referral check for it or something, because my wisdom teeth aren’t even bothering me. I, too, need to start drinking less soda. I was doing really good about drinking more water for a while, then one day I started craving the crisp carbonation of a Diet Coke, and I’ve been a goner ever since. Writing is always something I need to do more of. By the end of the year, I want to finish the book One Year to a Writing Life I’ve been working on for about a year now, actually. I also want to get in a better habit of reading more than being on the computer and watching TV. I have quite a book collection to get through!
It’s funny because my wisdom teeth haven’t hurt in MONTHS but the day I published this post, they began hurting again. Sigh. Guess I need to make that appointment sooner rather than later!
I love to make goals at the end of the year, it seems to give me a leg up on the new year. I don’t want to slack the last few months of the year then have to catch up next year. Those wisdom teeth should be a priority, they can get infected and cause serious problems. I waited until one of mine hurt so badly it required emergency surgery, not a fun thing. That side of my face blew up like a balloon.
Oh, goodness! I think I am just so nervous about it that I keep putting it off. I really need to make it a priority to get my surgery scheduled so I can mark this off the to-do list!
goal this month is get a new car 🙁
rest of the year I have a few more resolutions to work on and get done (read some books, cook some food, save some money.)
Ugh, I’m sorry, Linda. That’s so crappy what happened to you! 🙁
I love goal lists. They are so promising! This one seems do-able! I know this may seem a bit childish, but what about a star system? For ever 8 stars (or however many) that you get for drinking a glass of water, you get a coke. I am a visual person and I also like to have clear cut rules with rewards, so this kind of thing works for me!
That is a great list of goals! I love goal lists, too. I have a pretty small one that I make in the month of January. I think there were 3-4 on mine, and they were things like pass the CFA, go a year without buying books, etc. My big goal for the rest of the year is to run a strong marathon. Besides that, I want to thrive in the midst of a really busy travel schedule and build a case for getting promoted by year end.
Late to the party (just catching up in my reader), but I love this idea! Good luck with your goals! You can do it!