Yesterday, I basically turned into the New Year’s Resolution version of this crazy lady: 

I have to admit, I got rather ambitious with my forty point list. But I’m confident that we can do this. Like I said, having a plan makes this completely manageable. So I got out a calculator did the math, and to accomplish 40 things in 12 months I have to conquer 3.33 of them per month. Except I don’t know how you conquer a third of something and so many of the things on this list aren’t one-and-done to-dos. 

So, that means figuring out what can be checked off in a month and what has to be done a little at a time over the next 361 days. 

Here a few things that I feel can be accomplished this month:

• get a day job
• get up and get moving: no more sleeping in during the week
  • these two pretty much go hand and hand
• touch up paint in the kitchen
• find local primary care doctor, OBGYN, dentist
• get rid of the old: clothing donations to Goodwill
• make a plan
  • set monthly goals
  • get back to daily to-do lists
• read two books

For January, I’m trying to build up confidence and momentum, so I stuck with the quick check items—one of which has already been half completed. (I spent Monday going through my closet and have a pretty sizable donation that’s headed straight to Goodwill on Friday!)

As far as a plan is concerned, that is the big goal for this month and I think we’re getting there. I’m sure that as soon as my Emily Ley Paper Simplified Planner shows up in the mail we’ll be cooking with gas! 

The other BIG thing about January 2012 is that next Monday (01.09.2011) I will officially be relocating BEST. That’s right, we’ll be saying thank you to tumblr for a fantastic 1+ year, waving goodbye, and showing up over on Blogger. I love tumblr and have been very happy with every day spent writing here. But a writer/blogger’s true yardstick for measuring success is comments, and that just isn’t a part of tumblr’s interface. I assume because it’s really intended to be used in a similar, albeit less organized, manner as Pinterest. And although I do get some great feedback through Facebook comments and tumblr reblogs, I need more. I need comments directly tied to my posts and I need reader statistics. I need to be able to conduct surveys. I need the tools to measure and adjust. And baby, Blogger’s got what I need! 

So there you have it. 2012: Phase One! 

Onward and upward, folks. Gotta find that sweet spot and build my own upswing! 

And just for good measure, this is what my world looks like these days.

For those of you that have been following along, you know that I’m full of resolutions for 2012. And you were warned that today would be the micromanaging phase. But I doubt you ever imagined a 40 point list organized into 8 categories. Yeah, it’s one extreme or the other with this girl. 

And considering 2011 was the year of not doing shit and being quite worthless, 2012 is intended for the complete other end of the spectrum. 

I’ve always been a resolutions junky. But I usually favor the vague and abstract resolutions that I whisper to myself while falling asleep on New Year’s Eve. But with the downslide that was last year I realized how much better I am with a plan—with to-do lists and tiny little goals that can lead to the much bigger picture. 

So I broke it down, way down. And I know what you’re thinking, there is no way this crazy girl is going to make 40 life changes at once and keep them going all year long. But that’s not what I’m asking of myself. Many of these things are one and done to-dos rather than year long goals, but completing them will contribute greatly to my big picture resolutions. Also, I’m planning on staggering the start of these so that it’s not quite as overwhelming. 

Personal

• choose happiness
• forgive yourself for the last 2.5 years
• be present and proactive in your life
• conquer your fear of failure
• have a plan

 Professional

• get a day job
• write everyday
• relocate the blog
• build blog archive
• submit short stories for publication
• always finish whatever you start writing

 Financial

• get all bills paid off and/or caught up
• learn to live on a budget
• start emergency savings account
• plan for big purchases: iPhone, Macbook Pro, TV, new car
• start approaching your wardrobe as an investment, choose quality pieces

 Domestic

• remodel bathroom
• touch up paint in kitchen, master bedroom
• get new light fixture for master bedroom
• paint living room, office, dining room
• look into new living room furniture, flooring solutions

 Health

• find local primary care doctor, OBGYN, dentist
• get up and get moving: no more sleeping in during the week
• learn to value your body/your health/your life
• renegotiate your relationship with food
• remember the mental and emotional benefits of exercise
• finally break that soda addiction for good
• keep a food diary

 Relationships

• family: call more; host a summer party at the house; cherish every moment with Nana and get all those amazing stories out of her
• friends: call/text/email/facebook and most definitely visit more
• husband: gift him rest and gratitude for all the work/holding us both up he did in 2011

 Organization

• get rid of the old: clothing donations to Goodwill
• get recycling set up in pantry
• set monthly goals
• get back to daily to-do lists

 Extracurricular

• read at least two books a month
• take more pictures
• explore your city 
• watch less television
• get the dogs outside to exercise more

So, that’s it. That’s how I do resolutions. At least in 2012. And simply setting these goals, coming forward and publicly declaring that this year I will try my best, that in and of itself is an achievement. 

Tomorrow we’ll discuss my plans specifically for January, when it’s all about building confidence and endurance. There is lots of work to be done and it’s going to be a long year.

^They don’t have very big plans for 2012. Just a lot more of the usual. 

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” 
—Rainer Maria Rilke

I am a big believer in resolutions. We went into last year with simple goals: settling into our new life together, recovering from the chaos that was 2010, and finding the peace and time to be bored. Although the measurable state of our lives remained rather stable in 2011—zero funerals, only one newborn, one puppy, no moving trucks, no wedding planning, no bridesmaiding or groomsmening, and very little home renovating—it was an exhausting year full of personal battles and unspeakable obstacles.

And we have made it to the other side. Not only are we here, but we are better for every scar this year has left in its wake. And we are hopeful.

Some of those aforementioned battles are part of much larger wars. Wars that we will continue to fight together in 2012 and for as many years as is required. But those are things we cannot control.

And this year will not be dictated by the aspects of this life that are not within our jurisdiction. This year we will be active in the quality of our lives. This year will be about conscious decisions and passionate commitments. This year will be about the present and the future. This year will be big. This year will be ours.

If nothing else, I wish you all the optimism to approach 2012 with your very best. 

I’ll be back tomorrow with the micromanaged version of my 2012 goals.*

_______________

*You (nor I) will never get that kind of detail out of B, so I only speak for in the plural first person in a broad sense. 

I need big things from 2012. And according to Yahoo, I won’t be let down. I put very little stock in things like horoscopes, but it’s always nice to feel like the stars are on your side. It always makes doing the work a little easier. 

Also, after reading my husband’s horoscope, (Sagittarius) our good fortunes seem to line up pretty well. So if I’ve done the math right, and these things are even 50 percent accurate, then between the two of us 2012 should be 100 percent amazing. 

As you may well know, 2011 was complete shit for us over here at Chez Wilt. But it’s almost over, thank God, and we’ve chosen to be positive about things. So here is what went right during the past 12 months.

• I chopped off all my scraggily long hair and started to feel a little more like myself. 
• My college roommates came up for a visit and we more than made up for lost time. There were confessions, cocktails, five star burgers, dancing, creepy basement bars, a sleep over, and the worst hang over of my life. So completely worth it. 
  
  
  
  
• In their honor, I finally got our first floor half bathroom painted.
  
  
  
  
• In the aftermath of what was a terrible 4 am sewer water in our basement wake up call, we got a new furnace and hot water tank. Positive people, we’re being positive. 
• My favorite brother-in-law got married!
• Gavitron Turned 1!
  
  
  
  
• We did some serious yard work out front.  
  
  
• We brought home Isabelle, who despite chewing everything, (seriously: EVERYTHING) has been some much needed new life for our little family. 
  
  
  
  
• Momma Hatmaker got real brave and finally opened the gift shop she’s been wanting her entire life. She’s had an amazing first six months or so and I am so damn proud. Frankly, I want a bumpersticker.
  
  
• We went to the zoo! Let’s be honest, I’m a simple girl.
  
  
• I went to New Jersey. On a plane. To see the besite. Seriously, this was most definitely one of the top 3 things about 2011. That trip was perfect!
  
  
  
  
• I turned the big 2-5! We took time off work to celebrate in our fabulous little city.
  
  
• I worked up the nerve to quit the WORST job I’ve ever had.
  
  
• I read, a lot!
  
  
• We celebrated our first wedding anniversary!
• Grayson was born to some of the most amazing parents a baby could ask for. And on New Year’s day we are finally gonna get our buts over to meet him.
  
  
• My alma mater blew up YouTube with the coolest thing you’ve ever seen a marching band do.
• We put up a gate so that the little girls can have free reign of the backyard.
• BEST turned one. We celebrated with post #100.
• I baked, a lot.
• I got to spend 24 hours in the happiest place on earth with two of my very best friends.
  
  
  
  
• Our girl got married! And it was wonderful.
  
  
  
  
• We had days that looked like this:
  
  
  
  
• And just a couple that looked like this:
  
  
• I found an amazing community of friends in the Nosy Bitches.
  
  
• We hosted family on Christmas for the very first time. And I didn’t take a single photo.
  
  
• Dorothy came into our life with sweet little promises for a delicious 2012.
  
  

So there you have it, 2011 as we choose to remember it. To be honest, this list is a lot longer than I expected. And I suppose that’s a good thing. Because as much as we’d all like for 2012 to feel instantly different, better, it probably won’t. I have faith in my plans and resolutions, but change on that scale is never instantaneous. It will take time and there will be set backs. And on those horrible days, I will look back on this list and remind myself that in retrospect 2011 was better than it ever seemed to be in the present. So 2012 will most likely be the same.

We are happy to report, that 2011 is most definitely closing on an upswing. There are so many good things to come and I will be back next week to tell you all about them. Until then, enjoy the last moments of this year and know that you will be better for everything you’ve been through.

Be safe this weekend and welcome 2012 with open arms. Possibility is a powerful thing.

Love and gratitude,

Sarah, Bill, Rory, & Isabelle