amble.: January already?!

So here we are…the third of January already.

Life since I got back from Russia has been a whirlwind of wrapping paper, family visits and full glasses. I feel like the festive season kind of ran away from me. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am the biggest Christmas nerd – I LOVE IT. As soon as December hit, Christmas films dominated my laptop screen, I coo-ed over decorations in the shopping centre and the excitement of having Christmas at home was building. But when it came down to it, it all went a bit too quickly.

I find that in December we all find ourselves counting down the days until the next party…pondering outfit choices, thinking about the perfect gifts, wondering if we’ll have someone to share a smooch with at midnight on the 31^st. And after it’s all done and the decorations are packed away for another year, January falls a little bit flat.

It’s a time of evaluation and self-scrutiny, but also one of new beginnings, new goals and aspirations to be fulfilled.

With want of a new project to sink my teeth in to, I have signed up to a new challenge set by Emma from Made in Hunters. The challenge: 52 lists. Every week for the entire year Emma will send out a topic and an army of bloggers will respond with their lists. Though a little daunted (disorganised me shudders at the thought of commitment and lists), I am excited to get started.

So here is my first list:

Topic: List your goals for the New Year.

1. Document my life.

This is something I have always been quite rubbish at. I have scores of abandoned journals, scrapbooks never started, empty photo albums, a memory box in disarray. Though blogging has gone a little way to help, there are still posts that I planned left unwritten. This is the year to take the plunge.

I need to:

Finally put my photos from two years of Holiday Repping in to the beautiful albums I have sat on a shelf.
Sort and print pictures for my first year abroad album: Russia.
Get organised on the blogging front: a post a week, a notebook in my bag for ideas, catch up on posts that were meant to be written from Russia.
Make use of my beautiful five year line-a-day journal. One line? It can’t be that hard can it?

2. Be more motivated and driven

To me these are two very different words. Motivated is what gets us out of bed to do that work out or stay that extra hour at the library – the more everyday things. Driven is actively going out and seeking the tools to get ahead –asking that professor what he wants from that essay, going for that work placement.

I want to:

Be more motivated:

To get fit: half an hour of PopPilates(via Blogilates) per day, and swim at least 3 times per week.
To study hard: to get my dissertation done and study hard (must remember that year abroad isn’t all about fun in the sun/snow!)

Be more driven:

email professors about final year units,
try to secure work experience for a week in the summer in a field I’d like to work in after graduation.

3. Be more positive.

It’s easy to slip in to a negative mind-set, to talk yourself down rather than talk yourself up. I want to focus on what I have got instead of what I haven’t. Not look at something as impossible but look at the steps I need to take to get there. Be a bit kinder to myself.

I want to:

Start a gratitude journal and try and scribble a few words a day about things that have made me happy or that I’m grateful for.

4. Be less afraid.

Most people would label me an outgoing person but a lot of the time I talk myself out of trying new things or going to new places. Picture the mental conversation: ‘you could go to that new zumba class’ ‘But I don’t know anyone and people might think I look stupid, they might not like me’ ‘ok, we could always stay in and have a nap instead’. :| Not great is it? (Especially referring to myself as we – bad times!)

I want to:

Be more outgoing and have a can-do attitude – how else will I make friends in Spain??

5. Learn a new skill.

Sometimes I feel a bit stuck in a rut – maybe a new hobby would make a refreshing change and it’s a chance to meet new people! Looks like number 5 could help with number 4.