Personal Goals for the New Year

Not a fan of the whole New Year's Resolutions business. I wouldn't even be doing this now if I hadn't seen it now. If I saw it 6 months ago, I would've done it then. I like it, I'm doing it. I don't, however, need a date on a calendar to tell me when things need to change.

via Pinterest (original source unknown)

All that being said, I present to you my personal goals for the upcoming year.

2014

A bad habit I'm going to break: chewing my cuticles
A new skill I'd like to learn: sewing (CHECK!)
A person I hope to be more like: my son
A good deed I'm going to do: anonymously hire a cleaning service for my mother-in-law (we'll just ignore this, since my mother-in-law has refused help and doesn't wish to live in anything other than her hoard) make a quilt out of the clothes of her daughter who passed away for my friend (CHECK!)

A place I'd like to visit: New Mexico
A book I'd like to read: A Game of Thrones
A letter I'm going to write: a love letter to my husband on our 5th anniversary (CHECK! You can even read it here.)
A new food I'd like to try: portobello mushrooms
I'm going to do better at: running

I'll keep myself accountable and keep you updated on my progress as the year goes on.

Do you make resolutions at the beginning of the year? What are yours?

UPDATE - One Year Later
As of December 29, 2014, exactly one year after first writing this post, here's where I landed:

My cuticles are still a wreck. I'll be honest - I didn't even try with this one. I'm not even going to put it on next year's to-do list, because I know it's just not a reality. Why set myself up for failure when it's not even that important to me?

My sewing is getting better and better AND I even picked up a second new skill: crochet. My favorite things to make are gifts and items for charity. I've made about a dozen preemie hats for charity, a scarf for a child in a Mexican orphanage, and am already starting on next year's Christmas gifts. Two skills - that has to make up for something I didn't do, right?

I'm OK on the good deed front. Like I said, I enjoy few things more than doing things for others, so I'm not sweating this one. Of course, you can only help those who want it. Lesson learned.

We didn't hit New Mexico for the hot air balloon extravaganza this year. This year, our car has been paid off and we're pulling in a little more money, so travel is in our future. Huzzah!

I didn't get to Game of Thrones. My husband stole the first book and barreled through the entire series before I could blink. I couldn't wait for him to finish, so I was on to other books. GoT is on the shelf, though, so I'll get to it. In the meantime, I HAVE started WRITING my own book, so, you know, that's something!

I wrote my love letter. If you followed along, you can read it above. He's a keeper.

Portobello mushrooms. Sigh. I just couldn't bring myself to eat fungus. I mean, I wouldn't eat the stuff between my uncle's toes, so why would I do this? Yes, I still eat like a four year old. I've learned to accept it.

Running was both a great joy and a great disappointment for me. I started the Couch to 5K program and fell in love instantly. It was so exhilarating and satisfying! Then I got injured. I cried. I knew myself well enough to know that by the time I healed, my motivation would be lost. I was right. I couldn't find it again. I cried.
I did decide to follow a longtime dream of joining a roller derby league, though. Then the reality of the expenses set it and that had to be put on hold. I cried again.
These goals will remain on the list for the future. I shall meet these. I shall.

Overall, I may not have met all of my goals, but I'm mostly OK with that. It's been a good year full of health, happiness, and more love than I ever knew I could give or receive. I'd call that a success. Yes, 2014 was a success.

How was YOUR year?