GOOD TO SEE YOU, 2016 * TIME FOR THOSE RESOLUTIONS

One shouldn’t break the chain, right? So here I am telling you about my new years resolutions for 2016 just like I did in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Before I make my goals for 2016 I like to have a look at last year. How did I do, where did I struggle and where did I excel.

♥ 1: Get healthy, feel better get back to yourself.

I didn’t do as great as I have hoped. I had a few good months in the beginning of the year where I ate healthier and lost some weight. I did start some exercise in the middle of the year and felt better but kinda lost it somehow. I still have back pains. So today I am basically where I have started out last year. I guess it’s somewhat of a win as I didn’t increase the problem.

♥ 2: Be nicer, be more patient, listen better.

Well, this one is a life goal, right. I don’t feel I gave it my all but tried nevertheless.

♥ 3: Declutter!

I did declutter quite a bit but there is still so much to do. Lots of clothes went to eBay and when I didn’t get them sold I donated it all. I still have some clothes and other things I want to sell.

♥ 4: Cook more (healthy) food.

Well I didn’t manage to cook one recipe from every book but when I looked for a new one I always decided to go with the one in a book I haven’t used yet. I made Chewy Pecan Brownies, Cucumber Potato Salad, Bread out of a pan a few more which didn’t make an appearance on the blog.

♥ 5: Invest time, fun and ideas into my Dawanda Shop.

This one was alright. I spent some time and money to make the shop more happy and fun to browse. I made a few sales however not as many as I would have liked. But then you have to start small, right?

♥ 6: Classics.

I started out strong in the beginning of the year but hoped to achieve more. Here is what I have read: Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick and I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Jurassic Park.

♥ 7: Write more letters & postcards.

I am most proud of this one and it is the one I did the best on. I think I only missed one birthday and two or three people I saw on their special day anyways. So I am really happy with this one. And I did receive five Christmas Cards this year so I am happy.

♥ 8: Invest in blogging.

I did invest in blogging as I was traveling to London to be part of the blogtacular conference and meet Elisa there. While it didn’t give me as much as I had hoped for (hence the missing recap article) I still felt inspired. I also joined a few webinars and took notes. And I spend some time working on the blog changing my CSS. It is still scary and I have no clue how I did it but I know I can.

♥ 9: Staying creative.

I feel like I have been quite creative this year. Maybe in a different way then I have thought but still. I was doing a lot of drawing this year. It started out with a sketch note workshop with Frau Hölle in February. In May I participated in a Japanese calligraphy course where I learnt how to write with ink and a brush. It was so much fun and so mediative. In fall I had the chance to learn about hand lettering. I also sewed a bit: a purse, a dress for my godchild, a sweater and two long sleeves for myself. I made more jewelry and a lot of ornaments as Christmas gifts. I am happy with this one and hope I will continue.

So bye bye 2015 and lets get some resolutions for 2016 on paper.

I started out with a different approach this year.

Have you heard about choosing word for your year? I had already last year and loosely had ‘appreciation’ in mind. However this year I wanted to take the time and ponder over it a bit more. Susannah is providing a free workbook to unravel your last year and set goals for the next. I really recommend it as it is quite revealing. She also has a free mini email course to find a word. And Elise had a podcast (# 038) about this topic that I enjoyed a lot. After going through those exercises and an epiphany I decided on my word: L O S E
I know it sounds negative and that is what made me think about it a bit longer but it just feels right.

So my intentions for 2016 have this word in mind. Here they are:

1. Lose anger and negativity

This one is closely connected with my life at my day job. Specially after looking for a new job four years in a row I am really angry and negative about the whole situation. It’s not healthy – for me and my environment and it’s staining other areas. This needs to stop. I also file a few more things under this category but they include other people or are very personal so I will not go into detail here.

2. Lose clutter

Now this one is a huge one. Lose clutter physically meaning get stuff out of the apartment as soon as possible to make room to breath. It means virtually. I am having this crazy idea about deleting my entire feed reader and start out new. How many new blogs, people and ideas would I discover? Not sure if I dare to do so but if you want to make sure I stop by at you place leave a comment… But it also means declutter my brain and mental stage. Lots of thoughts hopping around, feelings I can’t quite put a name too and my migraine.

3. Lose unhealthy lifestyle

This includes the first two points as well as physical things. I want to eat healthier, move more and maybe find some relaxing method. I plan on signing up for a pilates class to try it.

4. Lose fear and self-doubt

This one is mainly connected to my blogging and Dawanda shop. I hope to learn to be proud of what I am doing. I hope to find like minded people to interact. Just connect a bit more. My attempts last year weren’t too fruitful.

5. Lose time wasting habits

How many times do we spend on checking emails, Facebook and such in the most unlikely places and unnecessary ways? How often do I end up in front of the TV instead of doing the “I never have time for this” projects. Hoping to carve some of that time and channel it to those projects.

And while I can’t fit all my goals under the word L O S E and since having good experience last year I have few more:

6. Write more

I want to continue to write postcards for birthdays and any occasion coming up. And I also want to write more blog posts. But it also means rediscovering journaling. I did that once in a while in 2015 and I want to keep a gratitude/happiness journal to help me with goal #1.

7. Stay creative

I plan on taking quite a few courses at the community college or online to learn about new creative techniques and such. I want to finally do the photo exercises from the Humboldt Fotoschule and I want to keep drawing and lettering. I also want to sew more clothes I can wear and I do need new purses.

This years goals are somewhat vague and I have to come up with a plan to put them in tasks otherwise I will not be very successful. Right now I am thinking of theme-months and January will be declutter. We’ll see how that goes.

I am ready 2016 but please treat me nicely! I am excited and hope it will be a good year. Do you set resolutions? Please share as I am always eager to snatch new ideas.

Happy goal setting,

Tobia