Write it down and get busy!!

Wow...is it really almost February??    I don't know about you, but I have always struggled with January.  In one sense, it's an exciting time thinking about all that the new year holds, but it can also be a downer month after all the festivities of the months prior.  I absolutely love the holidays and all the hustle and bustle so when life slows down, I really don't like it.  The fact that I live in Ohio, which can be very dreary and cold in Jan, Feb, Mar, and even April can make it that much harder for me.  I learned a long time ago that I need sunshine...and lots of it!!  The good news is that it's actually been a very mild winter here so far, which has been great!!  The sun has come out quite a bit and it's not been unbearably cold....although things have changed in the last week to snow and cold....I guess I knew it would happen eventually:)

I'm not really one who sets New Years resolutions.  I do spend time reflecting on the past year and thinking of things I can improve on in the coming year...so in a sense, maybe that's making resolutions, but I guess I just don't call it that.  I do know that the gym I go to is always more crowded from the first of January till mid February so a lot of people do make resolutions to get in shape....seems like that's always the BIG resolution for people and that's great, but why don't people stick with it then?  I know some do, but it seems the vast majority don't.  Maybe it's because people don't see results as fast as they want to and it's hard so they give up.  Isn't anything in life that's worth achieving going to take time and be hard though??  I have to remind myself of that when I set goals and don't feel like I'm achieving them as fast as I'd like to.  There are times that I want to give up on my goals....I get frustrated and tired....I struggle with belief in myself that I can do it....I feel inadequate or undeserving....BUT then I look back at last year and see how far I've come and know that I want to do even better this year!!  Just like when I exercise, I know that it's a daily process.  I don't get in shape and stay in shape by going to the gym every once in a while or just when I feel like it,  and I definitely don't get in shape by just thinking and dreaming about it...I do it by going to the gym several times a week and being consistent.  It's hard...I have weeks that I don't do as well as I'd like to....and I'm not always in the shape I want to be in, but I know that it pays off to stick with it...and I have for many years now.  

I know that having goals is a good thing...I'm always thinking about my goals and talking about them, but it's been said that when you put your goals in writing and make them realistic and attainable, they're more likely to happen and to be honest, I'm not always good at doing that.  When I've trained for half marathons (and it's been a while since I have...dumb injuries:), I've printed out a training schedule and put it on my fridge so I knew what to do every day for the 12 weeks leading up to the race.  I knew that if I followed the schedule that when it came time for the actual race I'd be prepared,  finish and hopefully even beat my personal record.  It takes time and hard work to get to the race...but it's so worth it to cross the finish line!!  I want to make this more of a focus in other areas of my life as I continue my countdown to 40....writing out a plan and working on it daily.  There's a saying I've heard that is so true... "the reason people quit something is because they look at how far they have to go instead of looking at how far they've come"...by breaking down my goals and writing out a plan, it makes it seem more attainable and not so overwhelming.  I've come a long way and 2012 holds a lot of exciting possibilities!!   I better get busy!! :-)    
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