I spent too much of 2014 comparing myself to others...
"oh, look how awesome their life is, they got to go on an awesome vacation..I wish I could"
"gosh, she is SO much skinner than me...maybe one day I'll be like that"
"why does her makeup look so good and mine just never cooperates?"
"This girls blog is awesome, I wish mine could be this good"
I think it is so natural to compare ourselves and our lives to others because things are so publicized now...nothing is held back anymore and people have no restrictions to what they display about their lives. I want 2015 to be a year about me and about bettering myself and finding happiness and excitement in the things I do. Sure, maybe that family did get to go on a cool vacation but at least I have a job that can help me save up to eventually go on one myself. It's about being patient and being thankful for the way life is now and not constantly comparing ourselves to what others have. Maybe all of these things we compare our lives to aren't always as picture perfect as it seems. Maybe there are things behind the lense that people choose not to talk about and I think that's something everyone goes through. Heck, maybe they look at me and think the same thing I'm thinking about them.
I know the whole "new year, new me" thing is cliche but so what....I do want this year to be a new me. 2014 was rough...nothing I plan on going into detail about but I was hard on myself. I lost the energy and motivation to want to do anything and just in the past 4 days of the new year I have already noticed a much bigger drive within me than I had at any point last year. I will always want to improve things about myself and my life and I think that is something we should all work towards but I realized that all it takes is a little support and confidence in yourself to make things happen.
Some of my goals for 2015 are simple and some are going to test me but I want this to be the year of me.
Goal #1- exercise, exercise, exercise. I have never been someone who was small, my weight has always been an issue for me and this last year really got the best of me with that. I decided to join a gym that just opened up down the road already I have felt more energized and motivated to be there when I go. My friends and family have already been a huge support and I know that will continue throughout the year. Having people that encourage you to succeed and believe in you makes it so much more worth it.
Goal #2- focus on eating better. I think the word diet has such a negative undertone so I refuse to say that. I want to learn what is healthy for my body and focus on that. It's not easy and I'm constantly craving chickfila and diet coke but my head is in the right mindset finally. I think this is what I will struggle with the most because I've never followed a healthy diet and this will take a lot of learning on my end.
Goal #3-manage my money better. I suck at managing money, having money literally burns a hole in my pocket. I do good at making sure our bills get paid but when it comes to my money and everything else I sometimes don't even know where it goes. At work to help out some of our clients we will compile bank statements into an excel sheet and go through a years worth of transactions and put them into categories based on how the money was spent. I have thought about going back through 2014 bank statements of my own and doing the same....it really puts into perspective how much money you waste on unnecessary things.
Goal #4-focus on being happy. Stop comparing myself, stop wishing for things, but just be happy with who I am and what I have. I have a great life. great friends, great family a supportive boyfriend and my life is full of adventures waiting to happen. I want to focus on the positives about myself and work on the things I see as negatives.
2015 will be a good year. I can promise you that.
"If there is one piece of advice I know for sure, It is not the things we buy in life that make us happy, it is the moments, the memories and the magic that happen when you open your life to new things, people and adventures. Invest in making your life richer by stepping outside your comforts, not following the status quo and cultivating forever lasting memories by traveling and seeing new things. Life awaits you."