2012

2011 was pretty eventful:

• We decluttered and got ourselves in a better place financially.
• I wrapped up my first significant contract job in my field and it felt good.
• DH got a job promotion in the Spring and by the end of the year secured himself another for 2012.
• We had our second beautiful baby boy in May.
• Sold our first house that we had completely gutted and renovated over the last 3 years.
• Moved into a newer house where we haven't had to do many renovations (thank goodness).
• I went back to my Masters program, got an awesome field placement for the Fall, and and even better Graduate Assistantship with an environmental organization that does really good work.

In both my professional and academic lives, I have realized that it isn't enough just to have have a plan (or goals). In order to bring that plan to fruition, you need to most importantly set out the actions you will take to achieve your goals.

Alas, for 2012:

• I want to continue to eliminate clutter from our lives and improve our financial security. I will do this through regular purging/donation, being a mindful consumer, and sticking to our household budget which includes budgeting money for emergencies and savings.
• Continue to find meaningful ways to give back to my community. For awhile I have wanted to volunteer doing young mother support. This year I am hoping to make that happen. I have looked into taking a lactation consultant course which will hopefully make me more marketable since I'll have a tangible skill to offer. 
• Immerse myself in my thesis research and give it my all. I want to make my research meaningful to myself and for society. I will not feel pressured into framing my research in such a way as to disregard my own interests in favour of others. Perhaps I will focus on publishing something this year.
• Cherish the little things - Quite often I read this or hear this said. Frankly, it is difficult to do in a society that places the most value on grandiosity (case and point with child birthday parties). I will start taking note of daily "bests" in a journal. This will also help me to be more "present".
• Act on the fact that "life is short". It is so easy to get stuck in routine. I want to try new things often and more importantly, focus on doing things that make me happy. In the same journal, I will also write down one thing I did that was new or out of the ordinary and one thing I did for myself for each day.