It is a fresh new year! I love beginnings.  (I love middles and endings too, but that is another time!)   I love blank calendars waiting to be filled.  I love all the potential energy that is stored in a new year.  A new year is like the world after a fresh, deep snow: it is clean, unblemished and full of peace and promises.  I know that yesterday, today and tomorrow have the exact same minutes and seconds as any day of December’s, but there is a freshness to a day in January that is invigorating.  And although I completely and utterly abhor January with its dull drum grey skies and frosty winds that bite, it is lucky enough to be the first month of the year.  So,  I took down the Christmas (finally, since I have been dragging around the house with nasty sickness the last ten days), and am ready to begin “real life” again.

“Real life” can be rather annoying in that it keeps going whether we have goals or a plan or are just flying by the seat of our cute yoga pants.  If  we don’t pay attention, it is January again minus 365 days of our lives!  It can be easy to just quickly brush over or not even notice last year’s goals, which can be really easy to do if you are like me and set mountains of goals and knowingly will fall short just due to the fact that one needs to sleep at some point. But, this year is 2010! So, I’m going to give myself a “10″.  I’m evaluating my 2009 year with a positive perspective. Life always throws some curve balls to us and inevitably goals and plans must change or adapt.  I’m writing down 10 different achievements or goals I have made this past year. We’re always hardest on ourselves (and those who are negative and harder on us really don’t care enough to matter.  In the words of my beloved Dr. Suess:  “Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don’t Matter and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind.”)   So be proud of what you have accomplished; be brave enough to write it down and put it out there – even if it is only your bathroom mirror.  Then be brave again and make goals that really matter.

So writing those ten accomplishments down gives me a perfect 10 on last year! What a great way to start out 2010!  Not to mention it reminds me of the Winter Olympics, which I’m obsessed about. And then I’m going to write down 10 different goals or achievements that I plan on making this year, 2010. Sure, these goals might have to adapt: like last year I just had to be happy I was going to yoga this summer since jogging and even sitting was quite literally a pain in the butt. Now, I can jog and that is why I’m sitting and typing with my treadmill looking over my shoulder. Hulu, my treadmill and I are such good friends now.  I know some people hate New Year’s Resolutions, but this isn’t just that. This is appreciating what you did last year and prepping for another year of fabulousness. I love these diaries by Typotheque; this latest edition, designed by Peter Biľak is fabulous for a perfect 10 year! Found via Iain Claridge.

Another thing I do for the New Year is give it a theme letter. Cheesy, I know, but it works for me. I freely embrace my cheese-ball-ness, but not the shape of a cheese-ball.  I’ve been going backwards in the alphabet for a few years now, choosing one letter a year and then having words that start with that letter be my theme for a month or so. This year’s letter is supposed to be “U”, but I hate the negative vibe I was getting from all those “un-” words. So, since it is my inspiring-letter-of-the-year-thing, I broke my own rules and skipped “U” and went straight on to “T”.  Gasp! I know it is shocking how much a rebel I am.  Maybe I’ll go back to “U” later because who knows how inspiring “undulate” would be for a month; don’t hold your breath though.  This month the word I choose is: “Today”.  I like the strength of the word “Today” especially at the first of the year. “Today” is valuable.

I’ve really like this system for me. Last year I had words like “vibe”, “value”, and “vivid”.  The last month’s word was a bit of a surprise.  I was reading “Modesty, Makeovers and the Pursuit of Physical Beauty” by Jeffery R. Holland and Susan W. Tanner when I came upon the words “vain imaginings” and they stayed with me for December. Yes, I know,kind of a crazy phrase, but it put a lot of things into perspective for me. See, I like being super cute but I’ve really struggled with how some beautiful women value most or only outer beauty in themselves and others. And many times, this idea of what “beauty” is very limited.  Yes, we live in a society where beauty and outward appearances are highly valued and I’m definitely not being anti-establishment declaring never to shave again (SHUDDER) or something like that. I’m all for beauty;  I was just frustrated with the teen-like attitudes of thirty-something women. This is probably why I love older women so much. Many  have accepted themselves and their strengths thus able to love themselves and others more unconditionally.  But my frustration dissipated with knowing that these women may be limited by “vain imaginings” of their perceived imperfections and thus valuing others on the same short measuring stick.  Who knows what “T” words will inspire me this year? So, for me,  having goals and a word of the month or something to focus on helps me become better. What works for you?

So, give yourself a “10″ on last year and write out ten ideas/goals/achievements for the twelve months! This is just a little goal sheet I whipped up. And if you choose a word for the year or month, I’d love to hear about it and why!

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