Life Goals for 2016

2016 is well underway, my friends! In fact, we're already at the end of January, can you believe it?! I thought I'd take the time to share with you guys my new year resolutions for this year. Even though they're not really "resolutions" and more like goals because goals are things you can and will actually achieve (unlike "going to the gym" because let's be real, bitch, you ain't going to the gym stop playing). I will admit that many of these goals have been heavily inspired by the upcoming wedding, but does the source of motivation weigh so heavily? Not always. Especially when it's a really good reason. I'm hoping that these simple goals will pave the way for better habits. So, please enjoy my list of Life Goals for 2016!

Keeping up to date with a planner, even if I don't manage to stay on schedule (no shaming)

One of the biggest problems I've had this past year was having too much pressure on myself to stay on a schedule and never straying from it. I would start out well enough, hold out strong, then one wrench in the plan would set everything on hold for over a month. My goal is to be able to properly keep up a planner so I can see if there are any schedules I adhere myself to without knowing it, and then trying to stay consistent with that as long as possible. My goal is to not put myself down when the schedules don't work out. The things that are flexible are on post-it notes, and the things that aren't are written on the paper itself. My friend, Chelsea, gave me this wonderful planner and some stickers from HelloEmmaCo and a few extra she made herself for Christmas. The set was inspired by her favorite planners on Instagram, The Planner Society. Though mine isn't anywhere on the level of theirs, it's working out really well for me in the meantime, and that's what's most important. Thanks Chels!

Less eating out, more packed lunches

It turns out saving money is difficult when you constantly eat out. Go figure. So, my goal for the new year is to make it easier for myself to eat my lunch at work and not make runs out. Why should I pay someone to make me a sandwich for like $6-$9/day when I can make it for myself for $1-3/day? I switch it up throughout the week between healthier frozen dinners and pre-made meals from the night before. So far, my goal has been going pretty well. It helps that my daily lunch friend is eating her lunches at work, too, so we have someone around to keep us motivated. With the wedding coming up in 8 months, being able to save money on lunch and gas getting that lunch has already made a large difference. We're even eating more meals at home, which has been very hard. Less food is going to waste and more of it is going into our bodies. We've also been seeing a really steady drop in our weight, too! We're making smarter choices and we're getting extra benefits.

More Twitch streaming, more YouTube videos, more blog posts

I want to get out there more. Even though my PC's build has been put on hold, we have other computers in the house that are more than capable of handling gaming and recording. Since the launch of my channel and stream, I've actually been using Mike's PC because my laptop just isn't able to handle it. Thanks to my friend, Megan, Mike and I figured out how to set the XBox up for streaming, so I'm excited to be able to do that soon! I haven't had a chance to stream year, but I have managed to get 2 videos up and now 2 blog posts as of today and this post. It's difficult falling off the track and trying to get back on, but I'm doing it. I couldn't be more pumped too!

Become physically active

I just started this, like, four days ago. I'm starting out small. Real small. A while back, I found the Blogilates 30 day challenges and they seemed easy enough. I knew I was going to have to start off small so I could build my way up to it and stay committed to it. I have a wedding dress to fit into and I want to look and feel my best for my wedding. I'm starting out with the 30 day Arms Challenge and I'll be doing day 4 tonight. Once I have this done, my plan is to restart it again for the next month and add in thighs. In April, I'll restart arms and thighs and add on abs. In May, I'll restart those and add in butt. Once I've finished those four, I'm going to do the regular challenges. I'm hoping that at some point I'll be able to work in the couch to 5k plan. With my lack of discipline, weak body and struggling lungs, I know that's going to be a long process.

Why am I doing this? Because Aureylian said something that hit a little too close to home for me. She started working out and getting signed up with a trainer last year because her 30th birthday was approaching and she didn't want to enter in the next decade of her life unhappy with her lifestyle choices. She's getting in shape and eating healthier. I'm the same age as Aurey, off by a few months. She's right. We're getting older and our bodies will only be able to keep up if we give them the strength to. I do have a target goal weight in mind, but I'm not hard set on it. It's not so much about weight or a dress size at the end of my goal. It's more like, if I'm under attack, can I manage a long run to safety or will I have to grace death quickly with open arms? I want to be able to run to safety. I want to be physically capable of going up and down my stairs to bring groceries or laundry into the apartment without feeling like I very well might die. And if it also means I'll look great in my wedding dress, then I'll be happy AF.

Take more photos and do more creative projects

As I go through photos for my scrapbook, I realize just how much I used to take photos of things and my outfits and of life, and I haven't really done that lately outside of special events. My goal is to also post some of those older photos and share them. If you're like me and photos have a tendency to die unseen on your computer, I encourage you to challenge your editing skills. Post them online! Put them out there! I learned photo editing and practiced various techniques from doing the 100 Variations icon challenge on LiveJournal. Those obsessed with icons on LJ will remember these types of challenges. I honestly have been thinking about bringing it back but doing it for Instagram. Can you imagine how crazy that might be? But see, this is what I mean about getting more creative. Be on the look out, kids. Crazy things are approaching...

What are your goals for this year? What have you been doing to help keep you on track? Let me know and maybe we can help keep each other inspired to keep going and not give up. NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!