A January Thaw

Friends, it has been a wild ride of a new year already. I cannot believe we're 1/12 of the way through this year (and 1/48th of the way through this Presidency... oof.) 

Like most others, I look to the new calendar year as a good time to revisit my goals and see where I've landed the year prior in respect to things I want to improve. I truly believe part of the purpose of a human experience is TO experience - to grow, to challenge, to learn, and to reflect. If those things line up with other, more material/earthly goals I want to accomplish, so much the better!

There's also something about the rebirth of a new year that lends itself to this self-analysis: the little icicles melting and dripping away, frost on the windows before a clear blue sky greets you, and new flowers and produce making their appearance at the markets and city gardens all signal the change of the seasons.

The January thaw applies to people as well - venturing out more as the rainy season abates, planning for the changing weather, and looking down the line towards the rest of the year. Here are a few of my goals for the remainder of this year: 

1. Find Inspiration Any/Everywhere

It's easy to get inspired by picture-perfect glossy magazines and pristine Instagram photos of a professional organizer's home. These things are achieved with mass amounts of time, money, energy, and know how. I am always in awe of the beauty and design I see on the internet these days, and I wish I had the capability to produce the same results!

But instead of constantly bemoaning the fact that my apartment looks like a Goodwill staging area these days, I am remembering that there is inspiration to be had in everyday life as well, if you're willing to look for it.

For example:

• coworkers who make mention of their special email-billing system (shout out to KLB!)
• friends who discuss their workout routines and how they find the time
• visiting a friend's new house that shows an impeccably minimalist living room with real storage solutions

There are ways to find "real life inspiration" everywhere, if you're open to it. My goal this year is to bring my idealized (read: online) life into conjunction with "real" life (read: laundry in the living room and dishes in the sink.) 

2. Be both more and less farsighted

I've always had goals. Goal setting is like, a very effective life-planning mechanism for me. I love charting out a course and following through - especially if it involves decorative vision boards or some kind of multi-colored journaling.

But the goals have always been either very future-oriented -- get married someday, have kids someday -- or too immediate -- bill 11 hours today, go to the gym 3x this week -- and not enough in between to cross the gap.

This year, I want to set out goals that are not necessarily immediately achievable, but that will take little daily steps to come to fruition. For example, within 6 months I want to have achieved X amount of bonuses at work (which will require taking daily action to stay on top of my billable requirements and track my progress.) Or, within two years I want to have a dog (which will require saving up for an actual adoption/travel fee and an emergency fund for any doctors visits, food, new bedding or leashes, etc.)

I want my goals to be more concrete than just "someday" but also without the immediacy of "only today" that allows you to forget about the larger concept as soon as a smaller task is done.  

3. Keep being creative

Boyfriend Charlie noticed, pretty hilariously, that there is a drastic shift in my behavior when it becomes knitting season. We began dating last February, just about the time that the "season" ended for last winter (as the weather wasn't cold very long due to the big California drought.) He came to my apartment, he saw my wall of yarn, and he thought that it was decorative. At one point he asked me if I even knew how to knit. Me! Pah! He said it jokingly, but the point was, he didn't see it happening.

Then, September rolled around, and it was all knitting, all the time. His eyes practically popped out of his head at the pile of knitwear I produced in a few short weeks once I had put my mind and fingers to it. He asked what had happened and I told him, this was my season! This is when I feel the most knit-spired - bychange in the weather, the holidays, the cozy atmosphere of friends and family coming to town and coming to the apartment for wine nights. My inspiration was wrapped up in the season and it was ever so clear.

But, the reason I love producing and being creative (including photographing recipes and outfits for this here blog) don't just disappear from Feb - Sept. I just need to make more of an effort to continue that momentum all year round! Some ways to do this are:

• Come up with seasonal patterns, maybe work some home goods into the shop or start producing more decorative items.
• Continue creating and posting do-able and delicious recipes for all my working friends and fam who read the blog for more than the knitting. 
• Post my travel pictures from prior trips (Montreal, Puerto Rico, Washington DC) along with tips on what to do and where to stay. 

This is that year!

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There you have it, the not-so-standard 2017 Goals And Resolutions post. Do you like to set goals for the new year? What are some of yours?