A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

New Year Goal: Don't put yourself in a box!


Hello, readers! I hope your New Year got off on the right foot! I suppose it's time to share the two main goals I have for 2019. But first, let's see how I did with my 2018 goals...

2018 Goals:

1. Run more trail. I ran lots of trail this year. Good job, Megan!
2. Read more. Does reddit count as reading? If so, I read  a lot.
3. Make a financial plan. Nope. That's two years in a row that I did not do this. We did make some good financial decisions, but no long term plan.
4. Perform. I tried this one! I got a role in Godspell at a community theater but quit after a few weeks because the director was verbally abusive. I have not made an effort to perform other than that.




Let's take a look at my two main goals for 2019...


1. Step outside the boxes I have created for myself. 

We all have boxes we put ourselves in. Gretchen Rubin calls them "limiting beliefs". A limiting belief is something you believe about your life that actually isn't true or might not be true. But for my goal, I am using the word "box" because it encompasses more.

I already started stepping outside some of my boxes. For instance, a couple months ago, I stopped biting my nails- COLD TURKEY! I never thought stopping biting my nails was even an option for me. I just accepted that I bite my nails. Well, I stepped outside that box and now I realize I don't have to be the girl who bites her nails. I can be the girl who wears pretty nail polish!

Another box I started to step outside of is in relation to recipes. There are certain recipes and types of food I just don't make. I feel like some recipes are too hard or time consuming, but that isn't necessarily the case. For instance, a couple weeks ago I made potato soup for the first time. (That also means I peeled potatoes for the first time!) The soup wasn't hard to make and Paul loved it. The next recipe I want to try is quiche! I am so excited to start making it and experiment with different ingredients.

This one is silly, but another box I got out of was wearing ratty, crappy pajamas around the house. I went to Kohl's and bought some nice pjs. Now I feel pretty when I'm chilling at home! Instead of getting a new robe, I got a thick, fuzzy cardigan that is acting as my robe. It was in the junior's section, not the pajama section... so I literally went outside the box on that choice!


2. Regularly show appreciation to others. 

Feeling appreciated is one of the best things in the world. Whether it's work, family, friends... everyone feels better and does better when they feel appreciated. 

I know I feel like crap when I don't feel appreciated, but showing appreciation to others will help me feel better. I told my friend Lauren that I feel like this is a partially selfish goal because while I want to do it to make others feel good, I also want to do it because it will make me feel good.

Lauren offered me a wise perspective. She rejected that it was selfish, and it is okay to do things that make us feel good too. She said we feel good for a reason, it's because we did something nice for someone else. And the energy we give that other person will be carried with them throughout the day and it will affect all the other people they interact with- coworkers, friends, families, etc. So when we show appreciation to just one person, it is going to affect everyone they interact with that day. And it's GOOD that it makes us feel good. It SHOULD make us feel good!

She thinks if we all did things that made us feel good inside, the world would be a better place!

Do you put yourself in boxes? Are there any boxes you want to step outside of?

Do you have a New Year's goal?

11 comments:

  1. I hear ya with the jammies! Every year my MIL gets me a pair from Kohls and they are my favorite gift!

    Do you think you would like to experiment with more recipes in general? I'd like to do that and share on the blog but I catch myself making the same old things cus its easy!

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    1. Yes I would definitely like to experiment with recipes. I may write a post and ask people to share a link to a recipe they really think I should try.

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  2. I love all your goals, Megan! I can't wait to follow along on the journey. I tend to put myself in boxes but also try really hard to venture out and try new things. Rick is really spontaneous and up for trying new things so I try to be more like him. I REALLY love routine! Only one goal for 2019 is invest in people and experiences that enrich my life. Time to "drop" some really bad so called friendships (girls that only love to gossip -- I HATE that).

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    1. That is an AWESOME goal! Life is too short to invest time and energy into people or things that don't enhance our lives in some way.

      I love routine as well!

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  3. Great job on the 2018 goals! I'm the same with PJs. I realized over the weekend that I don't have any actual matching pajamas. I just have a couple PJ bottoms and ratty t-shirts I wear them with. That sounds nice to have a nice set that you can feel good in :)

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    1. Yes, I feel pretty in my new jammies! I was even wearing old t-shirts with hair dye on them. I can't believe I let my pj game get so bad!

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  4. I read Reddit a lot too :). But like you, I'm trying to read more actual books from the library and also more newspapers and keep up with current events. It's more important than ever right now and going into 2020.

    I love nice pajamas. One thing I've realized working from home is that I don't HAVE to work in pajamas or wear sweats all the time. I have nice clothes, so why not wear them and work in something that makes me feel happy and comfortable? So yeah, I put on a bra, real clothes, shoes, makeup, jewelry, etc... and I'm so much more productive around the house.

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    1. All the newspapers I read are through apps... NYT and Washington Post! Love the /politicalhumor subreddit though!

      The only experience I have working from home is teaching piano lessons, and if I have time before they start, I change into sweats... basically pjs hahaha. But that's just because I was already wearing nice clothes all day. I think if my only job was piano lessons at home, I would dress nice.

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  5. Your goals for 2019 are seriously spot on! I used to be a nail biter as well and stopped earlier this year! It's so nice being able to paint them and have them done at the nail salon sometimes!

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    1. Good for you! It is fun to feel pretty, right??

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  6. I love that you were able to put your goals for 2019 in two main goals (and I love them both). I can especially relate to the "not putting yourself in a box"... because don't we all tend to do that over time?

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