"New" Year Exercise - Part I

(Don't worry, this post won't have to do with sweating, or anything like that, just a lot of reading, if you mind).

There's a little exercise I like to do every new year, and I thought perhaps you might like to try this too. (I know that the year is not so new anymore, but since my birthday in on Jan 26, I allow myself to take longer. I've always felt my new year begins a little later). =)

First, do a recap of the year gone.

(source: matha stewart)

This is the moment to think about gains and losses. Achievements and setbacks. It's important to do both sides, because most people tend to focus on one aspect and forget the other. You might feel you're stuck in this moment of your life, but when you sit down (or even write down) your accomplishments, you may realize you're actually moving ahead.

In my case, I remember 2009 as a great year. We just got married and moved in last 2008, remember? So 2009 meant going from the blank canvas shown  here and here to having furniture around the house. HUGE step. As well as some progress in certain areas, such as the powder room and the laundry room (need to work on a post on that soon). Of course there's still a long way to go, but 2009 was a good beginning.

2009 was the year I started Casa Haus too. I like blogging and blog reading. Actually I'm crazy about it.

Then, set your goals.

Get crazy. Think out of the box. Do not stick only to 2010. Some of your objectives might need a little longer, so try aiming further in time. When you have all of your goals written down, organize them into short, mid, and long term. Some of your mid and long term goals might be made up of smaller goals.

Some of my short term goals are the following:

Do some creative work

(I love painting, photography, and design, so any of those would do).

Spend quality time with my family

Improve my swimming times

Work on our dream home

(NOT our actual house)

Organise our spaces and time

(Actually my daughter's drawer)

There's a little in-between list you can try if you're not being able to come up with a set of goals. You can write down your "wish list", where you're allowed to dream and write everything you'd like in your life. This helps ideas flow. Then read your "wish list" and think about what you truly want, and what you would like to focus on. Now read your goals. You might want to add new ones and forget about others.

My personal "wish list" is huge. I actually like to do this list somewhat often. Any time I feel like I'm stuck or down, I like to write it. It helps me organize my emotions and ideas, and focus on what's important in my life. Also, I've read in several places that writing down your goals is the first step towards achieving them. And it actually works, so I keep doing it.

I wish every single room in my house was a room that spoke to me. That means I wish to work on every room in the house to make it a reality. I have tons of ideas and use tons of inspiration for this dream home of ours. It's exciting to work on it.

My wish list also includes more time, more time, and more time! We may not have the budget either, but if only I had time to work on things. Hopefully this 2010 gets me some.

I wish we could get a new lap top, and a new camera for me.

(this would be soooo huge!)

I wish Casa Haus grows and gets known by more people!

I wish I could work on a daily post for Casa Haus.

Try working on these first steps, and stay tuned for Part II of the "New" Year Exercise, coming tomorrow.

Until then, have a wonderful weekend!