It's the new year and of course with it come the always cliche "New Year New Me" posters, sayings, memes, and hashtags. In the past I pretty much said screw it to the idea of resolutions and making specific changes in my life as the result of a new year. This year though, I'm feeling a little different.....

Why the change of heart you ask?

Well, to be honest, I don't really know....

I just have this gut feeling that, in order for me to achieve the highest version of myself and my potential, there's just a few things that need modifying in my life. Of course all of this is going to take some time and a lot of dedication, but real change can only be affected if you work at it. We create our own realities, and I'm learning that there are a few things about my reality that I would like to tweak. Namely:

Work harder at scheduling and discipline. - I'm a notorious procrastinator. But, I've managed to pinpoint two of my biggest weaknesses and, while I'm still working at it, I'm finding that scheduling oneself and having the discipline to stick to that schedule is very important.
Write more. - This blog will be a testament to how well I achieve this goal.
Make more art. - I find I don't spend nearly enough time creating. In this new year, one of my goals is to keep a sketch book that I create in at least once a week. I have SO many blank sketch books that never get used because I have it in my mind that each page must be a finished piece. This of course is counter-productive and this year I just need to force myself to get over it.
Establish myself as a profitable artist. - This is the one that's going to require the MOST time and dedication, I have a feeling....
Drink more tea. - So I had to cut coffee out of my diet, even though I love it, because who knew that drinking a whole pot of it before noon without eating breakfast for 5 years could ruin your stomach? Well.....I actually knew that (my grandfather was a doctor and warned me of such a result), but I'm pretty much an idiot and didn't listen to him. Now the only thing I CAN drink is tea which, come to find out, can be pretty healthy for you. Go figure...
Make more lists - I'm finding that they really do help.
Send packages and follow up with anyone that has sent me something. - Like I said, I'm a horrible procrastinator. I really need to stop being a douche and just buckle down and get these packages together.
Avoid passive aggressive behavior and the need for everything to be "equal". - I don't know if it's a Virgo thing, but for some reason I get very annoyed when things are not done equally or fairly. This year I need to start practicing the idea that not everything was MEANT to be equal.
Stop being so defensive. - I do wonder if I've always been this way, but within the past 5 years it's really been pointed out by family and friends just how defensive I really do get. I need to learn that I'm not on a debate team and I don't have to argue the other side to anything that's thrown in front of me. This is also going to be a difficult one for me to concur.
Pull weeds in the garden every week. - May parents will laugh at this one if they ever read this. As kids, getting us to pull weeds was like asking us to take a rusty blade and sever both of our legs off then beat ourselves unconscious with our own appendages. Hated weeding.....now...its just gotta get done.
Call my mother and grandmothers more often. - Everyone should do this if they can.
Be present & in the now for at least 5min a day. - Ultimately it would be nice to exist in the present moment for every moment. I need to learn to quiet the chatter and just focus on The Moment every day, at least once.
Workout, loose weight, eat healthier - This is pretty self explanatory. If I could I would love to get back to the high 140s.
Drink half a gallon of water a day. - I read that the body needs eight, 8oz glasses of water a day and that measures out the about half a gallon. This definitely seems like an attainable goal.
Volunteer for a wilderness nonprofit - I used to volunteer with a wild-bird rehab center in Alaska when I worked up there and really enjoyed that level of connection with the birds. I would like to do something similar to that, I think...

So these are just a hand-full of changes that I would like to make in my life this year and in the years to come. Will these little changes make much of a difference in the overall grand scheme of my life? I sure hope so!

It's going to be fun coming back to this post in a year to see how much I really did accomplish.....