well hello, 2014!

happy new year, everyone!

new years can get a bit of a bad rap at times, with all the goals and good intentions that last for about three weeks or so. believe me, i’ve done my fair share of goal-setting around january 1 in the past with goals that may or may not have lasted the entire year.

this year, however, as cliche as it sounds, i really want to make life count. 2014 will see the end of an era as well as the beginning of a new one in the story of tessa kohler, in various ways. i want to take a little bit more control over the craziness of my life and live deliberately, for a purpose. i want to try to make a bit of an impact on people, possibly, and use the lovely days i’ve been given in the best way allowable, so i’ve gone ahead and written some resolutions. these aren’t just entirely spur-of-the-moment things that sound good – actually throughout the past year i’ve thought of things i wish i could do better and (being the lazy procrastinator i am) have just mentally bookmarked those for 2014 resolutions. so without further ado, here’s what i’ve come up with!

worthy objectives for the grand year of 2014:

• pay attention to birthdays. say “happy birthday” to as many people as i can, even if it’s only on facebook. actually put thought into presents i give to friends and family.
• be on-time, even to casual events with friends where it’s easy to be late.
• blog at least two times each week. work on improving this lovely little place for pretty words, as well as this other blog where i share various healthy lifestyle-isms.
• run a half marathon! i’m determined to finally accomplish this long-time goal this year! it feels like i’ve had this goal forever, but injury and daylight savings has continued to thwart it.
• pay my tithing at least every 2 months. this is something that i’m continually putting off, and i really want to get it paid a lot quicker than i tend to so i don’t just have that money sitting around, just itching to be spent. (if you’re curious, this page has a great explanation about tithing and why i pay it!)
• stick to a budget! when i’m invited to go shopping, or when there’s new makeup i want to try, all caution and frugality tends to go out the window, so i need to be better about saving more and spending less.

all written out, that kinda seems like a lot! at least everything is somewhat measurable and (i think) attainable. it also helps to write it out online for the world to see, which makes me feel a little bit more accountable.

all in all, i’m pretty darn jazzed about 2014. i love the fresh start of a new year and looking forward to wonderful things in the near future. 2013 was a year where i learned a lot about myself, so i think my mission in 2014 will be to make things happen and take an active role in my life, rather than just trying to hold on while everything goes whipping by.

sooo yeah! happy new years! i hope you all have a fantastic, exciting, love-filled 2014!