New Year, New Goals. Yay!

Just a disclaimer, I'm going to be a total broken record of everyone else on the entire planet, and talk about new year, new me, bla bla bla. 

But it's so wonderful, a fresh slate, recognized by the whole world, to really be able to put 100% into your goals. How could someone not be excited about that? Now, don't get me wrong, if you're unhappy with certain aspects of your life, you shouldn't wait until January 1st to take charge and go after happy. I'm just feeling very sentimental that things that had been weighing on my mind the last few weeks coincided with the universal refreshing of the world.

So, I had kind of let blogging go by the wayside, and one of my goals for 2016 is to get back on it and write whats on my heart, even if it's just a quick few pictures or a recipe. Even if one person, somewhere, gets something out of a post, I'm happy.

So lets get to it!

Go After the Happy

"Going after the happy" is kind of a blanket term for my general, new mindset year. I want to just be happy. For too much of 2015 I spend way too much time comparing every. stinking. aspect. of my life to others' lives. How much of a great year did I waste by doing that? How many times did I miss a deep belly laugh when I was wondering why my legs don't look like Carrie Underwood's? How many snuggles did I miss from my cats when I had an iPad in my face obsessing that my hair isn't long enough?

Too many.

Physically, i'm a bigger girl. I've always been wider in the hips and heavier-set in the chest. So what? I do not have to be model thin to be happy or a person worth a place in the world. My goal this year is to not be thin, it's to be healthy. Everyone's goal should be to be healthy. Life is too short, people! Eat that cupcake, but maybe do an extra squat after. It's all about balance! I do have goals to work out more, I'd like to tone up my legs and stomach a bit, but I'm never going to be a bodybuilder; nor do I want to be. But, if I can have a little more definition and a little less jiggle, I'll be happy! As far as dropping 50 pounds, or something wild like that? If I eat well and exercise regularly, as I plan to just for longevity and quality of life, if 50 pounds magically fall off, great! But, if it doesn't and my doctor pronounces me healthy, I'm a happy girl.

Don't strive to be beautiful like someone else, strive to be beautiful like you. That's something that's been rolling through my head like a credit reel lately. I wear glasses because I need to, contacts are not an option for me, thats okay. My hair is thick, blonde and sometimes unruly, that's okay. My legs are short and thick, a and I love a good skirt and baggy sweater combo. All of that is okay. I'm never going to be a Pinterest or Tumblr girl, people will never come to this blog for fashion or fitness advice, because I'm not the poster girl for it but all of that is okay. I'm happy with myself. Beauty comes in so many shapes and sizes, and honestly, I'd rather stand out than fit in. 

When did not being yourself become so in style? This year I plan to wear what I like, do my makeup  how I like and how I want. Pinterest will not grab me each morning and tell me what I will wear to garner respect and people's attention. Instead, my inner beauty and personality will win people's hearts. What Kate Middleton or Julianne Hough wear should inspire my style, not dictate it.

This year I don't want to be beautiful like you, I want to be beautiful like me.

Mentally speaking, spending all that time knees-deep in Facebook and Pinterest wondering why my life doesn't look like their's takes a toll on your mental health. This year, I plan to enjoy the joys of social media for what it's worth - networking, keeping up with friends, and cat videos.

Snapchats from your cat. THIS is why the internet was invented!

Get Organized

This goes for my professional life as well as my personal life, and let me tell you, it comes in handy and has already. I've tidied up my house over the Christmas break and de-cluttered a ton. You do not, and will never need, three toasters. When I went back to the daily grind at work, I took the time I always said I was to busy to set aside, and completely organized everything on my work PC, and backed up the files. And guess what? The afternoon I finished that, my computer was totally wiped by a nasty virus! I had to grab a temporary computer and send mine off to the IT firm my work hires to handle things I can't fix in-house. What a lifesaver! Because I took the half hour to back up all my files, I easily moved the folders to my new computer, and saved myself a ton of downtime. Because I forced myself to take a bit of time from my packed schedule to clean up after myself, something that could of sidelined me for days was a 15 minute fix. Amazing. 

I intend to apply the same principal to my personal life as well, things as easy as cleaning up as I go when I'm cooking instead of having a huge job after not only saves time, but keeps stress levels down as well. 

Be Humble

My sweet Grandmother, who passed away when I was in 8th grade and was, and continues to be, a huge part of my life, was deeply religious, and as I get older I feel a pulling to adopt bits and pieces of her beliefs as well. She wasn't the obnoxious type of religious person, but you knew God was her best friend, and she wasn't afraid to tell you that. She took the very best parts of scripture and His word and applied it to her life in every way. She was bitingly truthful and blunt, she didn't believe in telling a lie. But, she would also give you the shirt off her back and go to battle for anyone she loved. I feel my heart being pulled in those directions, but sometimes I stop myself because going around saying Jesus is our Savior and keeping a clean vocabulary isn't "hip" or "how a millennial" should be. Well, in 2016 I'm giving up on being everyone else's type of cool, and being myself. Each night when I have time I'll do my Bible readings, and feel connected to my Grandmother while I'm at it. I may not attend Church, or I may. If the feeling's there, I'll do it without any care of how I look or what my friends would say. I'm living life for me, and that's how it should be.

Going along with cleaning out and slowing down, I plan on DIY-ing a lot, home recipes, cleaning products, laundry products, all of that good stuff, and I plan on sharing that journey on here. Why? Because it's something I generally like to do.I want to live more simply, and begin to live a life that shows I know what's important to me, in my little corner of the world. Doing that also helps save money, which is another small goal - to be a bit more frugal, and invest the money back into my home, DIY, of course!

So that's just where my mind is this Winter. 

In a nutshell, I want to live for me and live for what I deem as important, not what anyone else says is important, and not get so caught up in the hype.

When I look around, I have a great family, great husband, my own car and my own house, as well as two pretty great cats. Why in 2015 did I let that stop being enough?

2016, the year of me, the year of getting it right.

What are your plans for 2016?

xoxo- Court