Goals for 2010

I've decided this year that I'm not calling them "resolutions." Instead they're goals because I intend to meet each and every single one of them. I want to go into 2010 with a positive attitude and excitement about what it holds.

Weight loss
My goal in this area is to lose the last 45 pounds to get below 200 for the first time in a very long time. I'm using a website called sparkpeople.com and on that website I'm tracking my food intake and my exercises. It's also full of helpful resources such as recipes and message boards where members can share advice and encourage each other. I've been a member of the website since 2008 but have barely used it. I reset all of my goals on there the other night and now plan to use it so that it will be effective.

Along with sparkpeople, I plan to average three nights a week at the gym, intermixing my regular strength training and cardio with some classes that Fitworks offers. I was given an American Express gift card from one of my students and I'm going to use that to buy myself a resistance ball and some hand weights to use here at home for nights I don't want to go to the gym.

In this same area I also need to start watching what I eat and being serious about cutting out the excessive junk in my life, which means my caffeine intake has got to go. I don't need all of those empty calories that I take in every day at work. I'm going to start making a list and grocery shopping on a regular basis to help in this area. It also means I need to find something productive to do on my lunch breaks from work so that I'm not tempted to go to McDonalds and order french fries and a coke simply because I'm bored.

School
My challenge and goal in this area is to simply keep doing what I've been doing. I refuse to get any grade lower than a B but I would love to have all A's this quarter so I plan to push myself even harder than I did in the fall. I'm on campus a lot anyway so it's time to start using the library and resources available to get my studying done since I can't study here at home with all the distractions.

Faith
I originally talked about giving up my Sunday school position after Christmas but I love being in the preschool classroom on Sundays so I'm going to keep up my every other month rotation. Along with this, I have also become a youth sponsor and intend to hang out with the youth two Sundays a month and pour into their lives the way the adults did for me when I was in the youth group.

I want this to be the year that I trust God. I want this to be the year that I trust in His timing. I want to be content in Him and learn what it means to be a woman after God's heart. I don't want my singleness to define my life and instead I want to learn and delve more into what it means to be a Godly woman and what it means to be a Godly girlfriend and wife.

Attitude
I tend to fall back and give in because I don't know how to tell people no. I need to learn to stand up for myself and tell others no, even if it means they may become upset. I have a tendency to take on too much and with working full time and being in school, I need to learn that it's okay to say no and not spread myself too thin.

I want to have a positive attitude about everything, even on the days when it is hardest to get out of bed. I have so many blessings in my life and there is no reason why I can't find one thing to be grateful about every day.

Finances
My goal for 2010 is to stop spending as much money. With my winter quarter financial aid refund, I plan to pay off my credit cards and then tuck them away for emergencies only. I plan to make a budget and stick to it. My goal is to encourage my friends to find things that don't cost money to do, such as movie nights at our houses or walks or something.

Along that same rate, when it comes time to reapply for financial aid for school for next year, I refuse to take out as much money as I did this year. There was no reason to accept all of it because it's all loans which means I'll be paying it all back someday. The more I take out, the more I have to pay back. Next year, I want to take out just as much as I'll need and that's it. There's no sense in putting myself in more debt than is necessary.

Personal interests
I want to remind myself of all the things I love to do, such as going to art museums and reading for pleasure. I want to take a couple hours a week for just me. I need some of that down time, especially at the times when school and work stress me out the most. If I don't take care of myself, how can I ever take care of my future clients? Number one at the top of the grad school list in our program is counselor self care. Our one professor reminds us on a regular basis to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others.

These are my goals for 2010. I refuse to make resolutions anymore because I know I don't stick to them. Goals I know I can do. 2010 is going to be the best year yet and I look forward to the challenges and changes it will bring.