2017...some thoughts.

Notwithstanding the "not making resolutions" thing, I do like to start the New Year with a bit of planning in mind - some rough goals I'd like to achieve really. With that in mind (and triggered in part by reading something online earlier on in which someone stated that for them, this year was going to be all about "connection and contentment" - I mean how perfect is that?) I thought I'd make a bit of a list...

My goals tend not to be "set in stone" types - I've done this so often before, saying that I want to do X, Y or Z, and then I set my bar too high, don't quite reach it, and end up feeling like I've failed completely. I admire those who are able to set tremendously ambitious goals and reach them each and every time - sadly that's not me. Step counting is a great example - I would love to be able to reach the ideal of 10k steps per day, but realistically most days of the week this just isn't achievable for me. I have no options to walk to or from work, my walking is generally pretty limited to what I can jam in before work, at lunchtime, or after I finish. So with that in mind, my first "personal" goal is set at a rather more sustainable level...

Personal:
- I will aim to reach a minimum of 5,000 steps per day. There will be days when for whatever reason I won't manage this, but the average across a week is the important thing.
- I want to concentrate on eating well - with a focus on learning more about foodstuffs that will potentially assist with a health issue I'm trying to work to overcome.
- Continue with a general plan to Eat Less, Move More - again in a bid to assist with the health issue.
- Continue using my Bullet-ish journal to help with planning and general organisation
- Look into yoga classes locally or if there is anything good I can do online - again this is related to the health issue

Home:
We want to continue with the works on the flat, initially to make it a lovely place for us to live, but also to add value.
- New door and window to be fitted to the kitchen
- New front door to be fitted
- Complete kitchen redesign/refit. This will include some building works.
- Hallway to be refloored/redecorated.
- Decluttering on a minor scale - focus on seeing items within the house that we don't use
- Work consciously on using the things we have - whether that's foodstuffs, or useful items.

Financial:
- Joint savings to continue as they are
- I will keep a good eye on interest rates and make the most of any access we have to higher interest savings
- I would like to have paid off at least £700 from the 0% card by the end of 2017.
- The paying down of the 0% card is to happen as much as possible without dipping into savings.
- Aim to make £30 extra per month minimum via surveys, cashback etc to pay against the 0% card

Photography:
- Keep doing it!
- Look to upgrade my long lens next winter
- Really work on concentrating and being present in my photography
- Stop. Think. Shoot.

General/Random:
- Continue to work on gaining confidence in friendships
- "Let it go" and "This too shall pass"
- Stop and think before acting
- Try not to feel hurt or upset when other people behave unpleasantly or unkindly - I can't control their behaviour, I can control my reaction to it.
- Be conscious and mindful. Think about the choices I have, and those I make
- Tidy up both laptop and desktop in readiness for the new Airshow Season.
- Continue with volunteering stuff
- Have fun - make the most of situations that offer themselves to me, and be brave enough to take them up.
- Try to tick a couple more items off our big "We want to..." list.

Of course there are two points as a result of all of this. The first is that *technically speaking* you might say that there's little difference between my goals, and the next person's "New Year's Resolutions" - I'd dispute that though - my goals will get reviewed at various stages, and may even get added to as I think of various things. The second is that for the first year in....well, years, I'm not setting ANY goals along the lines of "blog regularly" - ironic, eh?!

Robyn