Looking Back on 36 Resolutions

This was quite the year and, in no small part, due to my 36 resolutions list.   When I drafted is for my 36th birthday, I had no idea where it would take me.  It just seemed like a fun adventure to embark on and boy was it ever a ride!

This year, I accomplished so much.  I checked things off the list that had been on it for a long time.   While I ended up knocking a whole lot of things off of my to do list, I also had a few surprises along the way.  Either where I had to change a list item because life happened or where I had to cross something off simply because it wasn't meant to happen this year.  And I learned a lot about myself along the way.  I learned to accept when I wasn't in a place to make something happen and to acknowledge that I would need more time.

So, with that, I think it's time to tell you what this year taught me.

I challenged and succeeded with my running in the first half of the year, but found it harder to keep momentum going near the end after suffering from an injury and booking myself into too many races.  I learned that I need to take advantage of the time I have away from my kids to get my workouts in so I can devote the time I have with my kids to making their lives magical.    I learned that jumping into a new sport is exciting and you might just discover that that thing you have admired from afar can be your new love.

I learned that life usually has other plans and you need to adjust accordingly.  Your time, budget and life may shift.  New things may come up and you just need to roll with them and take the adventures for what they are.

I learned that it is easy to improve your home with just a few tweaks.

I learned that it is easy to improve the quality of your family time by just tweaking a schedule a bit to allow it and that, by trying new things together, the memories become amazing things. I learned that it is easy to keep a family active if you make it something you automatically do together.  I learned that sometimes you need to wait a little longer and become a bit more patient because your kids need to grow up a but before life can resume.

I learned that having creative outlets in my life is important, but that I should let them coexist instead of trying to master everything simultaneously. Mashing too many creative pursuits together will only spread you too thin at that intensity. Having writing, drawing and knitting on the list made it really difficult to devote time to any one of those.

I learned that there are great things that can be found when you take a leap.  That I had limited myself by putting things off.

I learned that sometimes my money is better spent somewhere else.

My advice for someone wanting to do a similar exercise?  Keep most of the items as one-off.  Quick and simple. and you'll feel like you accomplished something.   

Would I do it again?  Probably not to this extent, but it was incredible to see what I could accomplish when I put my mind to it.  It has definitely made me think about my life and what I want to accomplish.  I loved taking chances and trying new things, both alone and with my family.  I think it was an awesome way to spend a year and I feel like I am a little bit better for doing it.