Reward Zone

I generalized my 2011 goals in the last post, but I also should mention that I'm all about rewards!  It's not like I just love shopping & spending money on myself... it's actually quite the opposite.  I have no trouble purchasing food, or necessary items... I love buying gifts for others ('specially at Christmastime), but I'm really good at rationalizing myself out of getting anything for little ole me!  And sometimes, as a result, I start to get bothered by this fact.  

That said, I love setting goals and giving myself rewards.  I set up savings accounts for big purchases, because I think it feels so satisfying to be able to purchase something when I have the cash for it


A few things I keep in mind when I come up with rewards for myself:

• I can't reward myself with food, because I'm already indulgent enough.
• I like to set a dollar amount for each goal.  When I meet that goal, I save that amount of dollas until I can afford my desired reward.  
• Clothes are great rewards for exercise & weight loss goals, as I always need new clothes, and it's more fun to buy clothes when I feel great!

I'm sure there are more, but that's good enough to start.  
I'm going to save $5 a week for each week that I achieve all my goals.  I may decide to increase after a certain point, but we'll see.  I work on a Monday - Sunday week for tracking, so at the end/beginning of each week, I'll track with an update!

For a little teaser, here's the reward I'm going for first (approx. 6 weeks).

This is the coordinating print to one I received for Christmas from my lovely friend.  Available here.

Isn't it awesome?!  That outta keep me going :)

Getting Ready to Kick off a New Year!

I LOVE reading blogs, and have attempted to start my own, but I'd really like this to be more of a journal to myself.  Maybe I'll spread the word of the blog (if I can manage to keep it up).  Maybe I won't.  But I really want to keep myself accountable! 

I've figured out my goals for 2011, along with some big life changes (wedding), this is going to be a BIG year, and I'd love to keep track of it to reflect back!

Without further ado... here is my list of goals for 2011:

• Jazzercise an average of 4x a week.  I've worked out the math, and this will put me at 150 classes mid September, just in time for an October wedding & honeymoon!  A few years ago, I was the Jazzer-nazi (as my friend & mom so lovingly put it), and I was a powerhouse.  I FELT GREAT!  I want to feel that way again (and fit into my clothes better).  This is the best way I know how!

Inspiration College (2008)

• Spend 1 hour a week reconnecting with friends & family.  And by this I mean specifically going out of my way, mindfully, reconnecting.  I read about this idea on another blog (in the comments), and it really hit home with me.  I always mean to keep in better touch with my friends from college, family out East, etc, but never make the effort to do so... then it feels like we need a several hour long conversation to fully catch up.  So this year, I'm going to set a time every week and make some phone calls, write some emails, send Grandma a letter, etc.  While facebook is great for stalking people and 'feeling' like you're in touch, it's just not the same.  
• Spend 1 hour a week on hobbies.  I have a list a mile long of craft, DIY, organizational, etc. projects that I want to do, and though 1 hour a week may not seem like enough to tackle this list, I think just making the conscious decision to get started will spur much more time spent on these endeavors.
• 2 - 4 hours a week on career advancement.  Specifically on those tasks to find a new J-O-B.  I'm at the perfect time in my career to move forward... I just need to search out and get to the point where I'm doing just that.  I've already updated my resume, and now it's on to portfolio.  I'll even track my progress on portfolio here to keep myself accountable!  

Along with those specific goals, I'd like to take more pictures (I figure the keeping myself accountable for the blog will help), and be more mindful in day-to-day life.  Reflecting at the end (or beginning or middle) of a day will really help me with this.  I want to create a bucket list, as well as shorter term goals.  

Here's to a GREAT year in (and of) advance!