Taking stock! (ya only get one life!)

The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on different facets of your life to see if it is going in the right direction. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result... so it's always good to pause and take stock of your life. After all, you only get one!

Here are some of the things I am thinking about in regards to career, relationships, money, health, recreation, and the BIG PICTURE.

~ Career ~

There was a time during 2017 when I was considering getting another masters degree. I already have an M.Ed., but I figured that since I have extra time on my hands, why not get another? But then I realized that I already work... a lot. I teach at school all day and then piano lessons two nights a week. Did I really want to add classes on top of that?

I eventually realized that rather than devoting my extra time to a second master's, I should do something music related for MYSELF, like sing in a choir or audition for a musical. And the decision was made. No second Masters. At least for now. I need to do something for ME.

~ Relationships ~ 

Luckily, I have great relationships in my life with Paul and my family. But marriage is hard, and obviously there's always things that can be improved. (Sorry, no details on this one! Marriage is very personal!)

With my family, I want to spend more time with my nieces and nephews and I want to visit my grandparents more often. I also want to run with my dad. I did all of these things in 2017 but want to do them more.

One thing I noticed is that the older I get, the less time I spend with friends. I suppose that is normal. We're all busy, and when we're not busy, we want to stay in our pjs. Some friends have kids so it's hard to get together... It's crazy to think about how much time I spent with friends in high school and college, but now in my 30s, I barely spend any time with my friends. Can any of you relate?

~ Money ~ 

We spent a lot of money on our vacation this past year, which is fine with me. It was worth every penny. I want to continue spending money on EXPERIENCES. I had a lot of great experiences in 2017... Meeting Hillary Clinton with my mom, going to see the Stephen Colbert show with Paul, Crime Con with my cousin... The list is long! These experiences cost some money and I am okay with that. And of course, I'm also thankful that doing those things are in our budget.

I want to spend less money on STUFF. (Says the girl with 9 Christmas inflatables.) This continues to be a goal of mine!

I contribute to my retirement account but I could easily contribute more. There is no reason not to. I need to just make the move and double my paycheck contribution. Honestly, I could triple it if I wanted to. With it coming right out of my paycheck, I wouldn't even notice it. LEAVE ME A COMMENT AND TELL ME TO TRIPLE MY RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTION!!!!!

~ Health ~ 

I feel like I started out healthy in 2017, then when I went back to work in the fall, I got sick a lot- mainly colds and the sore throat/headache combination.

I continue to have problems sleeping but luckily it's not for several nights in a row. So if I have a bad night, I am sure to sleep well for the next couple nights. I'm not sure how to fix this one. It does suck on those nights where I just lay awake...

One thing I NEED to do is make an appointment with my PCP just for a general wellness exam. I haven't had one of those in awhile as I always just got to Urgent Care when I have a problem. I have to make a gyno appointment and a dentist appointment as it is that time of year again.

~ Recreation ~

2017 was a great year to indulge in the things I enjoy doing! Running, lifting, blogging, wine tasting, puzzles, coloring, ornament making... Boy, it sounds like all I do is "fun" stuff! I definitely take time for myself every single day to do something I enjoy. If it's a really busy day, then it may just be my run in the morning. But if it's a day where I come home from work and don't have piano lessons to teach, then I relax with an activity I enjoy.

~ The BIG PICTURE ~

Even though my life isn't perfect, it's going in a good direction. There's a lot that is AWESOME and the things I want to improve upon are things I am easily able to improve upon... 

So this is the weird part... In the past year, I have started to feel OLD. I feel like a different person than I was even in my early 30s. There are certain times in my life that I think back on and realize they seem like a LIFETIME ago. I often wish I still had some of the characteristics I had when I was young. I was more carefree. I had more energy. I didn't worry as much.

Obviously, there are great things about being older. I'm more confident than I was in my 20s. I have more money than I did in my 20s, thus being able to do more fun things. And honestly, getting older is better than the alternative, right!?

I'm sort of struggling with the whole getting older thing right now. 

How was your 2017 in regards to career, relationships, money, health, recreation, and the BIG PICTURE?

Do you want to change/improve anything in 2018?