[autumn bucket list...]

The lovely ladies over at 'A Beautiful Mess' posed a challenge this week - four simple goals to achieve before 2013.  Funnily enough, I'd been thinking about just this anyway, in an attempt to get hyper organised (the space I seem to need to be in lately in order to have a clear mind!)

(Image from 'A Beautiful Mess' with permission)

I often think about where I would like my life to be in one year, five years, ten years.  I find it motivating to think of how I would feel in five years if I was the same person, doing the same things, having the same issues.  I need to have grown and developed into something I want to be, and not have regrets for the way I wish things would have gone.  I guess that a certain amount of growth happens just in everyday life.  I like to be aware of myself, and my desires and dreams and my shortcomings and to hold the person I know I can be in high regard, and strive to do better for her sake.

So without further ado (and bleating on about sentimental nonsense), here are my four simple goals before 2013, (inspired by the person I aspire to be in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and on and on.)

1).  Complete a craft project.  I am good at starting craft projects, not so good at finishing them (as in, I am terrible).  I don't like this about myself - my inability to stick to something (exercise, diets, projects) and so I thought this would be a good one to focus on.  I have already started something in anticipation, and here's a clue - it ties in with one of the goals from my 29 before 30 bucket list!

2).  Become fitter.  For years now, I've had the goal of losing weight and as I said in number one, I never stick to it.  I just never do it long enough to make a difference.  So maybe 'become fitter' is a better goal.  I've been doing a lot more walking since living in England (incidental exercise) and I am certainly fitter now than I have been.  I've been riding a bike home from work, and am keen to do some zumba and pilates classes.  I guess if I get fitter, drink more water, eat more greens... the weight loss will happen too, but that won't be my main focus.

3).  Make pasta from scratch.  I love Jamie Oliver and his simple approach to food.  When I visit the markets around here, I'm always inspired to eat organic, fresh, homemade food, and then I get home and it all seems too hard.  I think if I learn to make fresh food in an enjoyable (and not too complex way), I would be more inclined to spend time in the kitchen making healthy, delicious food.  So I'm going to make pasta from scratch - I'm thinking I'd like to try ravioli!

4).  Nurture uplifting relationships.  I'd like to be deliberate about the friends I choose to let right into the inner circle of my life, and to nurture the relationships I have that I want to hang on to for good.  I think those are the ones that uplift and add to my life, and I'd like to be a person who uplifts and adds to theirs too.  I'm talking about remembering birthdays, skyping more, sending gifts, words of encouragement.  Not just friendships too, but family relationships and even my marriage.  I guess what I'm saying is it's easy to get blase about relationships that have been around for an age, and it's important to me right now to be deliberate about them.

So all of my goals seem to be less simple than I had intended when I write them out in such a way.  I suppose they are really as simple as making some pasta and going to a zumba class, but they mean more to my personal growth than just the tasks.

Look forward to sharing my journey with you!