New Years Resolution Recap 2012

I love New Years! I love the idea of starting fresh and having another year of wisdom under my belt so that I can carry out the next year better and, perhaps a bit more gracefully, than the previous one. Discussing goals and resolutions with my juniors and seniors this week at school has left me questioning why I make resolutions. The consensus of my students...making resolutions is setting yourself up for failure. (Perhaps they don't like the fact that I am not pleased with their progress and will be pushing them harder second semester.)

I make resolutions each year that I think are just tough enough that it will be a struggle to complete them, but still just within reach. Mark always says I try to fit in way more than can actually be accomplished in a set amount of time, but I am not one to get too bent out of shape when I don't attain a tough goal. I like to think I am level-headed enough to realize that setting the bar high, only means that you are pushing yourself to improve, not setting yourself up to fail. Goals that are set low can be reached easily. As much as I LOVE a good check list of things to cross off, leaving me with the feeling of accomplishment, I don't feel as rewarded if they were easily attained. Goals that are set high, may not always be reached, but I feel that I am improving myself by trying, so I usually walk away more rewarded knowing I didn't reach a goal than if I hadn't set my sights as high. My 2012 resolutions were just right for me last year. Honestly, I didn't reach all of them. However, looking back on the past year, I feel as though they were the perfect resolutions to propel me in the right direction, and isn't that what it's all about anyway?


1. Read 12 books - CHECK! I read 18...err 19 (I forgot I read, "The Help" -one of my favorites) books this year. If I get time I'll blog about my faves, but let's be honest, my blog has taken a back burner since I've been back in school, so you might not ever see that post!

Jaclyn's favorite books »

2. Go/run 365 miles - NOPE! I ran 332 miles this year. Not the 365 I was hoping for but with a few unforseen bumps in the road that left me unable to run for a bit I am pleased with my progress. I ran a few 5K's, my first half marathon, and discovered a lot about my abilities, my limits and my health. This will be a goal that I will re-evaluate each year and hopefully continue to increase as I really did find a love of running.

3. Get out of my recipe rut - CHECK! I tried some delish recipes this year that were equally adult and child friendly. Again, if I find the time I'll dedicate a post to my favorites, but don't hold your breath. I meal planned at the beginning of each month and planned for the entire month to ensure no repeats within a 30 day period. Each week I would grocery shop on Saturday and prepare as many of the meals (casserole-type dishes) as I could on Sunday so that we were ready for the week. Each week included a beef, pork, chicken, fish, pasta, and soup (sandwich in the summer) with the 7th day being a free-for-all.  This allowed us to avoid multiple beef meals in a week as we are red-meat lovers. (Summers tend to be lots of beef on the grill {steaks, burgers, etc}...I loved trying some new recipes with fish). Planning in advance definitely allowed for variety and healthier eating, but the staples remained. Creatures of habit, we like what we like.

4. Stop being a people pleaser - CONSCIOUS EFFORT! I paid more attention to who filled my happy bucket and who drained it. This goal was appealing to me in the beginning as sometimes I put way too much effort into making people happy who I have realized are perpetually unhappy and it is like running on a treadmill...lots of effort, but you don't really get anywhere. However, I feel like the majority of my friends are people pleasers as well and they are that way because they are generally concerned for other people and their well-being...and that can't be a bad thing, right?! I learned that sometimes when you stop pleasing a few, it ricochets back to others who you do aim to please and I don't like that. A lame example: subbing at school. The same few teachers always step in and cover for teachers who need subs. When you say no to subbing for someone, it doesn't just affect the teacher you don't want to sub for (for the 10th time)...it falls on our school secretary and makes her life a drag. She is one that definitely DESERVES people to help make her life easier...so I will probably continue to be a people pleaser. :)

5. Do 12 things to improve my marriage - CHECK! This was a win-win. No drastic changes to our marriage or anything, but it was fun to invest a little time in the man that invests everything in me us. The best thing we did for our marriage was leave our kiddos behind. Sounds weird, but taking a trip just the two of us was a great reminder of why we chose to spend our lives together in the first place and help us see the bigger picture of our lives together...it's not all about our kids. In addition, I read a few books on marriage...lame I know...and a lot of little things that I think changed the culture of our marriage. I am thankful Mark put up with my antics for the year. I thought he might draw the line when I made him take a quiz to see what type of "love language" he spoke after reading the book "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. We made a goal to go out once a month just the two of us when we got back from Mexico in June. We just made it in July going out for dinner and a movie July 31. Then we went out in December for dinner and a movie. Oops...we may have missed a few! Perhaps that should be a goal for 2013.

Did you achieve your goals for 2012? It was one of my favorite years yet...on to 2013...I'm sure it only gets better.