Year of Katy

In one of my favorite sitcoms, The Middle, the forever optimistic Sue Heck says “this is the year of Sue!” Well I feel like 2016 will be the year of Katy. Not necessarily career-wise, but on a personal level. I am starting 2016 with a huge desire to spend this year proving to myself that I can do things I thought I could never do before. A year of challenges and pushing myself and bettering myself. I’m one of those people who hate leaving my comfort zone, and yet I always know that when I do, I become better, I learn more, I always gain something, whether a new skill or just an embarrassing life lesson. I feel inspired and hope to see it through.

I will be turning forty this year and I have to admit, I have lived it pretty safe so far. I have wanted my stable family, career and household, and I got it. I planned everything in the beginning, then just survived day to day, my weekly routine pretty much on autopilot. On the surface, I love a weekend full of Netflix and chill. But I have also been so bored on the inside. No changes in scenery, company, house, car or man. I’m about as predictably stable as you can get. But even though I wanted a safe life, I also wanted adventure and lots of fun times. I wanted a more active family than the one I have created. We are all couch potatoes; the husband with his TV, the boys with their video games, me with my books or TV or Twitter. I always have good intentions of being outdoorsy like I was growing up, but in the day to day routine I just don’t force it. Most days I am too exhausted and it would just be so much work to so whatever it is I am contemplating.  “Once it is done raining this spring I’d like to go hiking,” I say. “Ugh, it’s too hot to go hiking when it’s a hundred degrees, let’s go this fall when it cools off,” I say. And of course my ever present regret that my husband is not taking my boys out teaching them how to fish, camp or hunt like we both always thought he would. He was outdoorsy when we got together too. He’s still outdoorsy – that one or two times a year we go to the mountains. The rest of time he is in the same trap as me – married to the TV and the exhaustion of a full work week.

Well, I don’t want to be so complacent any more. I want more adventure and more wonderful memories with my boys before they are all grown up. And I finally believe I have the power to make a change in myself. I find it really difficult to change my personality, but I can change my actions. I can move. I can get fit. I can push myself more than I have ever pushed myself before. This is what I want to do with my 2016. And just maybe by conquering more, doing more, feeling better –  just maybe it will change part of my personality for the better too.

“I Can Do It!”  Photo via Amazon, I claim no rights to this photo.

So here are my goals for the 2016 Year of Katy:

Year-long resolutions:

1. Change my eating habits, eat healthy, get fit, make my body the healthiest, strongest, happiest it has been.
2. When I see something that needs done (picked up/cleaned/fixed), do it right then versus putting it off, noticing it every time I walk by, and then having guilt & unresolved clutter in my life from all the things not done (picked up/cleaned/fixed).

Baby steps & monthlies – starting a new side-resolution each month to build on:

1. January:
   • Open my mail daily, tossing the junk, don’t let it stack up and build clutter.
   • Join the Gym, use the treadmills 3 times a week.
2. February:
   • Get back to doing my morning workout DVD’s 4-6 days a week.
   • Hire a housekeeper.
3. March:
   • Learn how to run!
   • Do something fun for kids over Spring Break
4. April:
   • Turn 40 without getting depressed – have a big fun party with my friends.
5. May:
   • Run in 5K race with my friends.
6. June:
   • Clean out that horrible hoarder garage.
   • Take a beautiful day-long hike in the mountains!
7. July:
   • Keep up with yard work even when it is “too hot”.
   • House hunt.

This is as far as I’m going now because after that, everything will depend on if we sell our house and move or not. (I really want a new house). But you get the idea. I want a lot to happen this year. I need a lot of good changes in my life. I will make it the year of Katy! Hopefully Katy will surprise us all in good ways.