A New Kind of Countdown: 14 in '14

Happy New Year everyone!

I’m delighted to finally kick off 2014. I love starting a new year. Everything is fresh and we can all start anew.

Last year I began 2013 with a set of 13 goals to complete. This was an idea from two of my good friends and fellow bloggers, Lauren and Clare. They set out 2013 with 13 goals each. I ambitiously tried this out.

And then failed miserably.

But another year brings about another round. So in 2014, I’m going to have 14 goals to achieve.

A handful of these may carry over from last year.

1. Knit another scarf. I’ve only knitted one thing in my life, a scarf for J, which he hides in a drawer somewhere. But, I’d still like to give it another go. I feel like this is a life skill I really need to pick up.

2. Run a half marathon. The idea of this is very daunting. And I think hours of running would probably bore/blister me.  It’ll be difficult…however, J and I have decided we are going to run one in May and raise money to donate toward Alzheimer’s research or care. As it is something that runs in my family, it’s very important to me. So bring it on.

3. Get in better shape. Living in England has somehow encouraged me to get a bit lazy and gain weight. I am currently 10lbs heavier than I normally am. Since I’m obviously not a fan of this, I plan on dropping this quickly. I’m moving back  to the states in 14 days. And when I’m back, so are my 5am workouts. (Also, training for a half marathon should do my body good).

4. Grow out my nails, and keep them long. This is shockingly a very difficult goal to keep. My nails are brittle and pathetic. They constantly chip. Currently they are long enough to tap on surfaces without my finger touching as well. This is a major success in my book and I’d like to keep them this way throughout 2014.

5. Get a freelance position. Being employed is kind of an important thing these days. Unfortunately, because of visa restrictions, for the next year it will be hard for me to work legally in the UK. However, a freelance position would be just the thing to keep me ticking over and has the most legal flexibility.

6. Use the Rosetta Stone software. Seriously. Ever since my junior year of college I’ve had the French Rosetta Stone software. I’ve studied French for as long as I can remember. However, I’ve always been kind of too shy to speak it and that hampered my ability to grasp it during my classes. Yet somehow I graduated from college with a MINOR IN FRENCH (caps because it’s shocking). This benefits me enough to get by when visiting France. After a night out in 2012 I spoke quite fluently to the taxi driver on how to get us back to our hotel. But I’d like a better understanding of it, so it’s on my goal list.

8. Learn to drive a manual car. I actually have no desire in the world to do this. However, I know it would be very beneficial to not have to buy an automatic car when we are living in England. It can be quite expensive. Still, I really would rather not do this. But we’ll keep it on the list as a goal.

9. Visit new countries. Since moving to the United Kingdom last year, I have visited: Scotland (lived there), England (live here), Wales, Ireland, France, Monaco, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. I think this was a very decent amount. I went to so many different cities, experienced many cultures… and I’ve loved every minute of it. Undoubtedly, I’ve caught the travel bug. I know that this is going to be a very achievable goal because on January 8th, J and I will be docking from a mini cruise into Hamburg, Germany.

10. Visit new places (cities). This also means revisiting countries. In order to get a full and true experience of every country we go to, I know that we’ll need to go to several cities and spend a good amount of time to get a feel of each place. While we’ve been to Rome, we still don’t have a complete understanding and feel of Italy. We’ll need to visit Venice and Florence… you know what I mean. I’m really looking forward to exploring new cities in the year to come. I think this also goes for living in the USA. J and I will be there for the summer of 2014. And I’d love to get out to the west coast.

Muesli Muffins Before Oven Time

11. Try new recipes. I actually love to cook. More often than not, I find it’s best to have a nice glass of white wine while dicing up a meal. I enjoy cooking something that takes a lot of time and effort, and is as close to being homemade as possible. My goal is to research recipes and try out new ones every few weeks. I think saying every week a new recipe might be a bit ambitious. But every few weeks? Totally plausible.

12. Take risks. This is kind of generic. But I want to be more of a “yes” person this year. After starting this blog, I’ve found myself seeking out new experiences and trying new things. It makes for better writing and certainly a better life. Essentially, I want to make sure I keep doing this.

13. Understand Photoshop and the other Adobe products. This is a huge career boosting quality to have. And while I learned the basics in my master’s program… I really could use the chance to gain a better understanding of how to use these products. Whether it be Photoshop or any of the other Creative Suite products, I need to be able to work on this.

14. Mix up my wardrobe. I have an endless supply of clothing. Yet, I somehow find myself always seeking out the same safe pieces, aka jeans and a tee or a comfy cardigan. I can’t help it! I’m drawn to them. However, this year I want to make a serious effort to mix things up. I have tons of amazing dresses, skirts, tops… you name it. So I’m going to be a bit bolder with my daily outfits.

I really want to stick to my goals this year. Hopefully by writing them down, it’s more of a commitment to myself… and to all my lovely blog followers!

What do you guys think about having 14 goals for the New Year?

Is anyone else making goals? Let me know what you’re doing too… accountability is key! 

xx Kelly