New Year, New YOU!

Don't you just love the feeling of a fresh start? That's one of my favorite things about New Year's day. It's like hitting the reset button on your life. If you've had a rough year and feel that you've missed out on accomplishing some key goals, or didn't create enough in the first place, you get another chance to do a better job.

Every year I put a lot of thought into my goals a few weeks beforehand. I separate my personal and business goals and try to create realistic expectations for myself and also write milestones for each so I know I'm staying on track. Admittedly, I had a LOT of goals last year and realized at the time that some were a bit out of reach with all that I had going on but I always like to aim high and challenge myself, I work better under pressure.

Over the past few months my hubby and I have put an even greater focus on our health.  Our priority this year is on total body health. Each year that I get older I'm more conscious about things like my water intake, blood pressure level, level of flexibility, etc. While those things have never been a problem before, I know they can creep up quickly if not proactively addressed. I am a firm believer in being proactive instead of reactive, it's easier and more cost effective in the long run.

Since we're both ex-personal trainers we have a lot of knowledge that we want to make sure we capitalize on, it's easy to get overwhelmed by life and take the easy road. We've also just learned a lot of new information, much of which I will share with you in upcoming posts to help keep you all safe and healthy too! So, this is at the top of my list this year. Following it are a few others too. I didn't want to bore you all with my business goals or new business plan for my design business, but here are 10 things I'll be focusing on this year in my personal life.

My 2010 Personal Goal List

1. Eliminate and Avoid Toxins-Avoid all foods with preservatives, food color, toxic ingredients, excess salt, MSG, excess sugar for the most optimum health while including more whole, organic foods. (We're thinking of this year as 'the year' to try for baby #1 and I want to make sure I'm not passing along any toxic, yucky stuff along to our future baby as this commonly occurs from both mother and father.) We've already detoxed our home from all personal care items and cleaners that were not up to par. We're proud to have a 'green' home complete with a compost area and a lawn that never gets sprayed with any pesticides.

2. Publish 3 Books-Many of you may know that I have written a book for women on the topic of being classy, it is getting very close to completion now (it was put on hold due to some matters I had to attend to this fall) and I am very excited to have it published and available for you very soon. There will be a giveaway of a few copies too so check back often for info on how to win your very own copy. I also have two other books that I'm writing simultaneously. (Did I mention that I work better under pressure? LOL) The second one is an environmental tip book and the third is all about the best and easiest ways to save money with a fun twist. More details on all 3 coming soon!

3. Make a 'from scratch' Meal 5 days/week-This is the healthiest way to eat to ensure you know what is going into your food. Unfortunately we have less control with pre-packaged foods, restaurants and fast food. I know this seems a bit ambitious but I've been doing it everyday for the past week already and so far, so good. Hubby is overjoyed and especially loves my homemade pizzas. I'm a gal that loves to create new things with my own two hands and I get really bored if I don't, so it will help me be even more creative and experimental in the kitchen.  Don't worry, I'll post the best recipes for you all to try too!

4.  Take More Photos- I realized this past year that we don't take enough photos. I was reminded of this while visiting the homes of some friends' this holiday season who are camera happy. I want to snap them all-the romantic, the goofy, the picturesque. I need to make a better effort to have my camera on hand at all times so I can capture the amazing things I see everyday. I would love to eventually get a much better camera to take more professional photos but in the mean time my focus is on taking more quality photos. I love making memories and reflecting back on the best moments in time through pictures.

5. Write More Blog Posts this Year- I really enjoyed blogging in 2009 and it has turned into a labor of love. It is like a little garden that needs to be tended to daily and keeps the little birds chirping and butterflies happy and fluttering about-those would be you ladies, my readers (or so I hope and that is my intention). I started off slow last year and started increasing my monthly posts in June. Now I find myself getting a new etiquette post idea every time I run an errand or a fun money-saving/decor post all while shopping for my design clients. In 2009 I wrote 89 posts, this year I would love to write a post per day but I know that may not always be possible with vacation and the busyness of life. So, I'm aiming for over 250 posts  for 2010, including at least 1 giveaway per month starting next week!

6. Read The Word EVERYDAY-I really want to get back to starting EVERY morning reading my bible.  It is filled with great inspiration and wisdom for my day, sometimes a gentle reminder of His love and grace is all I need and other days some bold scripture to encourage me to fight a battle or stay strong in the midst of a storm is what is required. Sadly, many days I've already started my day and then wait until I'm ready for bed to read and inevitably fall asleep instead-not good. My goal is to re-read it in its entirety again from cover to cover. On a side note, I enjoy praying for others including complete strangers so if you ever need or want prayer for a particular area in your life, feel free to send me an e-mail and I will keep it confidential and keep you in my prayers. :)

7. Travel to 3 New Countries-My husband and I love to travel, he has been to 60 countries and I'm still trying to catch up to him! My goal this year is to see 3 new countries which should be doable considering he travels quite a bit for work (motivational speaking) and I try to join him as often as I can. Last year we saw 3 new countries together: Turkey, Greece and Italy. I really enjoy learning about new cultures, meeting new people and of course tasting a lot of great, new cuisine! Traveling is a great escape from the stresses of everyday life and we firmly believe in taking two vacations per year when finances allow.

8. 5x per Week Workouts-During the time I was a personal trainer I was in the best shape of my life. I miss the strength that I once had (and my bicep muscles) and the balance that once came so easy to me. I told my hubby that I really want to commit to working out 5 times per week again, he is my accountability partner. I will be adding fun sports, yoga, pilates and outdoor activities to the mix so it won't be gym-only workouts or boring monotonous routines. I hope that by getting back into the best shape possible before trying for a baby, I can bounce back more quickly and maintain a high energy level at such a physically demanding time.

9. French Lessons- Growing up in Canada, I learned French from grade 4-9 instead of Spanish, as they learn here in the U.S. I didn't enjoy learning it at the time because I didn't see how it would be useful, but we've traveled to France a couple times now and I love knowing how to order my meal, ask for specific things and make conversation with Parisians. It comes back to me so quickly once I'm there and I want to keep it fresh once I return again. One of my long term future goals is to live in Nice for at least 3 months, so this would be most helpful in adapting to life France.

10. Create Something New Everyday-This was on my 2009 list and was my favorite and most accomplished goal. As I mentioned above, I feel best when I am creating, so whether it's sewing a cute little pillow, re-purposing a piece of old furniture, baking a new dessert recipe, or making a fun scrapbook page layout,  it is essential to my sanity.

I do have some other goals that I haven't listed here as they are more personal and private in nature. I look forward to tackling them all and I'll let you know how I did in December!

In the mean time, I'm curious to know which blog post at Classy & Fabulous was your favorite this year? Did one in particular speak to you or challenge you? Leave us a comment. Don't forget to read yesterday's post about  New Year's Resolution success secrets. I'd love to hear what's on your list for 2010!

I hope this year will be your best year yet. My wish for you is that you'll stretch and challenge yourself in ways that you didn't know you could. I pray that you'll love yourself more each day, realize all of your dreams and know that you are worth it! Here's to a fabulous and fun year ahead and a new YOU!