2012 Goals

Here we go again, another year has come and gone.  Ridiculous.  By now, you've probably realized that the list didn't get completed by the end of 2011.  Disappointed?  Yeah, I am a little bit too.  But, all in all I'm ok with it.  2011 took me down a road that I wasn't expecting and I think all things considered, I crossed off a good amount of my list.  I realize now that my list was a little lofty, and considering that a lot of the items cost a decent amount of money, a bit out of reach.  That's ok though.  It gave me something to work towards and caused me to get out of my comfort zone.  It also forced me to start this blog which, though it doesn't seem it due to my lack of posting recently, has been one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time.

So what's happening with the list now, you ask?  Well, as of now my plan is to make that list a "101 in 1001" list.  Therefore, my new goal is to complete everything on my list by September 28, 2013.  I think this is a lot more feasible and I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Now a little housekeeping business, my december goals?  Major fail on almost all fronts.  Once again, I failed to realize how CRAZY December was going to be for me.  Besides all the Christmas craziness and family gatherings, I also started a new work schedule that I've been trying to adjust to.  Regardless though, I hate setting goals for myself and failing to complete them.  One of my major goals for 2012 is to change that.

Tomorrow I hope to share with you my goals for January, but here are my 12 goals for the year 2012:

1. Spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible.  Pretty self-explanatory.  I've been slacking at this and it hasn't done anything good for my life.
2. Lose 50 pounds.  I'd love to say that 50 pounds would put me at my goal weight, but truth be told, even after 50 pounds I'll have a ways to go.  I believe that 50 pounds is attainable and reasonable, however.  I know I can do it... I just have to do it (go figure, eh?).
3. Find a job that I'm ok with.  Yeah, that sounds as bad in writing as it did in my head.  I love my barista job, but the cold hard truth is that I want to make more money.  I want to be able to pay off debt quicker, I want to be able to give more to others and honestly, I want to do more things that cost money!  Sorry I'm not sorry.  However, I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to find a job that I'm really passionate about at this time in my life.  A lot of this is because my passions are other places right now.  I'm passionate about being a wife and serving my husband, I'm passionate about trying to find a healthy lifestyle and I'm just not sure what I will be passionate about as a career.  I'm ok with that though.  I'm only 22.  I have time to figure it out.  Plus, my ultimate dream-job?  Stay at home mom.  Yep, I said it.
4. Go on a real vacation.  When I say "real" I mean something like a cruise or going to California... Not going to Chicago for the weekend.  A real vacation that's like 7 days.  It's completely selfish but I think it's good for the mind and soul.  We all need a vacation.
5. Pay off debt.  Hubz and I met at a small, private Christian college.  People who meet at small, private Christian colleges tend to accrue a decent amount of debt.  It sucks but we both agree it was worth it.  My goal for 2012 is to pay off a few small debts (equalling less than $1000), all our credit card debt and my car loan.  Yes, it's lofty, but I think that if we really buckle down and I start bringing in more money, it's definitely something we can accomplish.
6. De-clutter.  We have a lot of stuff.  How we got all this stuff, I'm still not sure, but there is a lot of it.  I really want to start living more simply and de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff is the best way to do it.  AT the end of the day, that's all it is: STUFF.  We don't need a lot of stuff, especially considering we life in a 700 sq. ft. apartment.
7. Begin saving more.  I would like to have at least $3000 saved by the end of the year.  Having that cushion would relieve a lot of stress and even allow us to do things like take vacations, begin saving for a house, etc.
8. Read 12 books.  After college I kind of stopped reading for a while.  Recently I've started reading more and realized how much I missed it!  I think that one book a month is pretty reasonable, and actually think there's a good chance I'll read more.
9. Join a nice gym.  Hubz and I belonged to a cheap-o gym that neither of us liked for half of 2011.  We ended up canceling our membership because we never used it.  Although I really like working out at home, it would be really nice to be able to take classes at a gym, swim in the pool and even step on a treadmill every now and then!
10. Move!  Hubz and I are feeling a little trapped at our apartment right now for multiple reasons.  We're wanting to move somewhere bigger and nicer (who knew cabinet space was such a commodity?), but that obviously costs more money.  And honey, moving ain't cheap.  I'm hoping that we will be living somewhere else by this summer.
11. Gain revenue from the blog.  This obviously forces me to become a better blogger, as well as a more consistent blogger.  I really want to spend time on my blog in 2012 and really invest in it.  When I'm writing often and expressing myself through writing, I feel at my best.  I'm ready to take Keeping Up With Kayla to the next step, I'm just not sure how to get there yet.
12. Watch less TV.  Hubz and I don't have cable or anything, but we do have Netflix, and I make sure we get our money's worth on it.  When I'm home alone in the afternoons, I like to have some sort of noise, and usually that ends up being the TV.  I don't think I realize how much time and energy gets sucked into that stinking digital box every week.  I need to unplug more.  I know it well help my productivity and will help Hubz and I spend more quality time together.

So that's that.  Hope you're feeling as motivated as I am to make 2012 awesome!  

K.