Two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy... can accomplish even more.

My life runs on semesters, and I find that at the close of every semester I shift into evaluating mode. Of course the mountain of grading piles ever higher, and that forces me to evaluate. But I also think through the semester, what went well in my classes, what didn't, what do I want to change next semester (which isn't always the same as what didn't go well). The force of the evaluation and reflection often overflows into my own personal life as well and I find myself setting new goals as I think about things I'd like to change.

I've set some broad goals for 2014.

Goal 1: Deal with stress better.
I'm trying to be practical here. It's absolutely not realistic for me to say "stress less," but I can manage it better than I currently do.

I'm breaking this goal down a bit, because it is so broad.
Part 1: Do yoga. I love yoga and it always makes me feel better. But when I get stressed, I think I don't have enough time, and yoga is the first thing to go. So the goal is to do yoga three times a week.

Part 2: As an initial step, I'm reading the book The Power of Now. This was recommended to me as something to think about for managing my stress about 6 months ago. I'm implementing it now.



Goal 2: Be more positive/have a positive outlook on life.
Being really vague, I'll just say that I've noticed that although I'm generally a very happy and positive person, some things are happening that are causing a more negative shift. I want to actively combat that, rather than just hoping for things to improve.

Part 1: Gratitude Jar

I bought a pretty jar that I think I will keep on my dining table so I can fill it with slips of paper each day about things I am grateful for. The goal is to put one slip of paper in each day.


Goal 3: Be kinder.
As my family was discussing goals, Carla said she thought of a way to measure this, but forgot what it was. And my dad said, "I didn't know you weren't kind."

So to explain, this goal is really that I would like to be kinder to myself. Tying in with the stress and negativity is some rather vicious self-talk. And I know that I talk to myself, inside my head and even out loud sometimes, in ways that I would never speak to anyone else. And I don't deserve that. So I want to work on eliminating the negative self-talk and showing kindness and love.

I'm really not sure how to break this one down yet. If you have suggestions, let me know!