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Well this cold snap certainly is determined to hang around, isn’t it?

It was a very quiet week for me.  I feel like in my new-found 30 year old wisdom, you have to learn to draw the line on things sometimes, and set your limits with what you want.  The temperatures have been in the -20’s all week, and as I was so recently recovering from being sick, I decided that I would draw the line at leaving the house at -15 degrees, and in doing so, spent the week in from capoeira.  It left me time to catch up on blogs, to workout at home in the basement gym (which is really coming along – but that’s a post for another day), and to hang in with our cats,  but now I’m starting to get itchy to be out and about a little more.

My friend Meagan posted about her December goals a few days ago, and after following through on her links and subsequently finding two other new blogs to follow (don’t you LOVE when that happens?)  it also led me to think about my December goals.  What do I want out of this last little slice of 2013?  In short – my own short list:

1. Wake up with intention.

I’ve read several times over that successful people wake up at the same time every day, regardless of where they are or what they are doing.  I pride myself on being a morning person, but with the chill in the weather it makes staying in bed to keep warm just oh. so. enticing.  but it’s also leading me to get out of bed several hours later than I would like to on the weekends, where my spare time is precious.  So for the last few weeks with what we have left of the year, I want to get out of bed each morning and think about what I can devote myself to, even in the early hours before the sun is up for the day.

2. Remember what makes me feel good.

December is always that time of year where it’s easier to follow temptation than stick with what you know is best.  This applies to so many things – health and fitness, drinking, spending money, going out to be social…that list is endless.  For me, this clause applies most to my health and fitness.  It’s taken until 30 to get a handle on the knowledge that all those Christmas sweets winking at you from the crashroom at work will only give you a sugar high followed immediately by over sugared crash followed by regret.  As much as I love baking and endowing others with my sweets, over indulging in them is never good.  I stopped forbidding myself from enjoyment however, and that admission has led to rediscovered control.  By really paying attention to how I feel after treating myself to something sweet, I find I’m so much less likely to go in for seconds or to try something else.  I’m choosier over what I indulge in as a result, which removes the guilt, the over sugared feeling of sickness, and so far, the added five pounds that usually sneak on between Halloween and Christmas.

I’ve often thought I could write another blog entirely devoted to my health and wellness regime, but I don’t want to send out the wrong message or have my intentions interpreted incorrectly.  But at this point in life, I can happily say that what used to rule my thoughts and actions is now more or less rote, and my thoughts can be happily focused elsewhere.

3. Give with purpose.

In the same vein as spending money can sometimes get out of hand, I have found previously that Christmas could quickly turn into this feeling of needing to buy more to show the people in my life that I love them.  It feels different this year.  In my own quest to live simply, I’ve found the gifts I want to give to those I love are more about experiences for them, or things that they will take meaning from.  I want to get better at this as time goes on.  You get to a certain age where there is nothing you can’t buy for yourself, and as a result you learn that money really doesn’t buy the gift of happiness or fulfillment.

4. Be grateful for the simple things.

Frank and I are both fantastic at keeping stupendously busy.  We even manage to go 24 hours without seeing each other sometimes, which is absurd considering he works from home and my workday ends at 3:45.  Nevertheless, some days all I can manage is to kiss him goodbye before running out the door in the morning, and feel him return the same when he finally falls into bed at night.  The small things that make our life together so wonderful – all the inside jokes that no one else would possibly understand or find humorous, or the random moments at home where the cats deem us worthy of their loving affection – these are the things that warm my heart and make me feel so happy to have found the life I’m in.

What about you?  What are your goals for the remainder of 2013?