January Goals

Every year I make New Year's Resolutions and every year I feel like I just end up trying for a bit and then forgetting about them. Overall, I'd like 25 to be a healthier year, so I've decided to break down my resolutions to monthly goals.

My January focus is a Physical goal: re-vamping my diet.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have not been to great about every sticking with a certain style of eating. Throughout college, graduate school and now post-grad life, I've had a lot of anxiety around food. I tend to avoid food when I get stressed out in order to have an area I can control. If the kitchen is too crowded and I don't have room to cook, I'll just grab something I don't need to cook. If there isn't enough room in the refrigerator, I tend to not grocery shop or get anxious about what to eat. I have a peanut allergy that has recently gotten worse, which really cuts peanuts out of my diet as opposed to me just selectively eating peanuts. I had a period of time where I had a lot of medical testing to see if I had any other food allergies or if I had developed a gluten intolerance. While nothing has come up in the past, at different points I have cut out dairy, selectively been gluten free but have not fully embraced a holistic way of eating. I have the biggest sweet tooth which leads to me to choose sweet treats (aka chocolate) most of the time over other options. Even though I believe in healthy eating, I have never been able to fully grasp onto that lifestyle.

My big goal for the year is to get a strong grasp on my health in a holistic way. I have chosen to start with what will be fueling my body. I've recently joined The Healthy Grocery Girl Nutrition Plan as a way of trying to commit (slowly) to a whole food plant based diet. It is a program that slowly breaks down transitioning to a holistic way of looking at food, and I'm sure that I'll be reviewing it on here, so here it goes!

As for the rest of my physical goal, I want to increase my cardio by trying to do some in house workouts 2-3 times a week for a start.

Spiritual Goal: Finish reading "My Sisters the Saints" by Colleen Carroll Campbell and post a book review

     Dedicate 5 morning minutes to prayer daily

Mental Goal: Dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to writing, whether for blog or for personal thoughts

   No screen time (phone, iPad, Computer) in bed (hopefully this will help with sleep!)

The Power of Vulnerability

If you look up the definition of vulnerable, it isn't very pretty. Oxford English Dictionary defines vulnerable as "susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm," coming from the Latin vulnerare which means "to wound." When thinking about vulnerability, it always is a word that makes me feels like squirming around in my chair. It is difficult because it exposes us, scrapes away our perfection shells and exposes the hidden scars.

It makes us uncomfortable.

It makes me uncomfortable.

I fully place myself into the category of perfectionist. I also place myself in the category of being guarded and difficult to get to know. I am fully aware that the two work hand in hand to beat back vulnerability. I'm difficult to get to know because I am a perfectionist who only wants certain pre-approved bits of knowledge to get out. I'm a perfectionist because I even if I want people to get to know me I am desperately afraid of them getting to know me.

Dr. Brene Brown talks about vulnerability and how those who she found lived the most "whole-hearted" life embraced vulnerability and realized that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. These people shared the traits of courage, compassion and connection as well: The courage to tell the story of who they truly are with their whole hearts, the compassion to be kind to yourself first and then to others and a level of connection with others that was a result of authenticity. The lived from who they truly were even though they risk the unknown and the uncontrollable.

As a society, we numb vulnerability and push away things that may cause us pain. We drink, we eat for the sake of eating, we engage in meaningless sex and we binge watch Netflix for hours to avoid and distract us from the reality in front of us. We try to make the uncertain certain in order to control outcomes. We prefect in order to disguise. We pretend that what we do doesn't have an effect on the people around us. We don't realize that by protecting ourselves we end up hurting other people.

Vulnerability entails a lot of trust. Trust that we can let ourselves be seen and handle whatever may come of that. Trust that if we love with our whole hearts and end up heartbroken, that we can bounce back. Trust that we are enough.

I'm taking on vulnerability as my word of 2015. It is the year I turn 25 and is the year I was to discover who I am and let that be known to the world.

It's so not going to be easy. It's so not going to be pretty.

But I'm betting it will be one heck of a journey.

I found Dr. Brene Brown through a guest post by Maxie McCoy on my favorite blog, The College Prepster, called "A perfectionist's Guide to the Holidays".  Below is Dr. Brown's Ted Talk: The Power of Vulnerability 

PINteresting Projects to try in 2015

There is no doubt that I'm addicted to {Pinterest} and I could (and have) literally pinned things for hours. The problem with Pinterest is that it becomes a pretty board to look at, and I never end up making any of the projects. I've tried a few recipes and use the party planning tips (hot chocolate bar for Christmas Party? check done!), but some of the craft projects need to be tried!

A few to look forward to in 2015:

A simple beginner skirt from Shrimp, Salad, Circus

If I had my way,  I would wear skirts and dresses every day of the year. However, Northeastern winters and a budget make that a bit tricky! I am a novice sewer, so I would love to up my skirt collection with some of my own creations!

DIY Plush Headboard from She Said

I still don't have a headboard for my bed and have been saying I would make one for a while now....I should get on that.

Shutterfly Photobooks

While not technically a Pinterest project, I am WAY behind on my phonebook collections! I still need one from my summer hike through Spain, my graduate school program, not to mention my study abroad semester!

I'll start with those three and see how they go!

2015: Looking Ahead

Link-up from "Here I am, the Handmaid of the Lord!"

1. Do you think you will be going to school at any point in 2015?  If so for what?

No! For the first time, 2015 will be the first time I will not be in school at all. While I hope to be going back for an advanced degree in Psychology, that won't start until about 2016. There will be a lot of research and applying happening in 2015.
2.  Will there be a job change for you in 2015?

No! Again, 2014 was the year of school and job changes, so 2015 will hopefully be very constant job wise.
3.  What adventure or event are you most looking forward to during this coming year?

Adventures seem to fall around different events in 2015. Trips home to NC for sister's shows and graduation, Weddings in May and a few in the fall, and then hopefully a spontaneous adventure or two!
4.  Do you think there will be a move to a new house/apartment/city/state/country in 2015?

No new city or state, but there could be a new apartment int he making next summer
5.  What do you see as the direction of your blog in 2015?  Design update plans?  Link-ups coming down the pipes?  More or less posts?

My only goal for the blog this year is to actually use the blog as a space to write and reflect on the happenings of my world and the world around me.

6. If you could guarantee that one thing could happen this coming year what would it be?
That I'll still get to be surrounded by the great love of my friends and family who support me no matter what.