Goodbye, 2013!

I'd like to say that I remember everything that I did this year, but really only two things stand out for me: graduating college and selling up and moving to England. The first led to the second; I followed that energy and "let it go" where it would, and here is where I landed. There were probably some lows in there, but I can't remember them. They were likely blips on the radar of Seamless Transition, so small they weren't even significant enough to notice. That, or I blew blindly past them as I rushed forward.

Regardless, here we are again - seriously, where does the time GO?! - on the cusp of yet another new year, 2014 this time. I love this time of year, when the blogging world bursts with resolutions, goals, challenges, etc. It's very exciting, and I always look forward to seeing what people have set up for themselves and their reviews of the previous year.

Yesterday, I wrote out my goals for next year. I have three big ones: writing a book, getting debt free (yes, I know. Those who have followed me these past, what, 6 years, know this is something I talk about every year, but never actually do.), and losing 10kg. On top of those ones, there are some smaller ones which need attention as well.

Financial
1) $500 to my RRSP/TFSA. This is essentially just to keep my Canadian bank account active, plus I need to plump up my retirement funds anyway.
2) Make a decision about my 2nd RRSP. Should I keep it where it is, cash it in and use it to help pay off my debt, or simply move it to my bank and add it to my current RRSP?
3) Canada Savings Bonds. I have a several options here. I can cash these in as well (they sit at about $2800 thanks to payroll deductions!), leave them sit, or continue adding to them. The minimum monthly deposit is $25. I'm leaning heavily towards the last option right now.
4) Stop spending unnecessarily. I only have rent and groceries as expenses, so I have no excuse to keep spending money on ridiculous things. I'm talking to you, Facebook game tokens. Yes. I'm that person.

Health
1) Drink 2.5L water per day. This is a lot, I know. This was the challenge set to me last summer by the dietitian I saw and I about fell over when she posed it to me. I was in the bathroom a LOT. But I don't think I gave it enough time for my body to adjust, really, so I have to give myself a better shot at it. Work up to it.
2) Dairy-free for January. This will be hard, as I love cheese, but I want to see if eliminating food groups will help me feel better. I got some information that cutting dairy from my diet would benefit my kidneys, so I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm also going to be cutting down the amount of refined/processed sugar that I eat as well. I know for sure that will help.
3) Do some sort of exercise daily. I already walk to work - I figure 4 miles total for the day, which is not insignificant - but even adding a walk to the end of the road and back after dinner would be beneficial.
4) Couch to 5k. This ties into #3. I got as far as week 7 with this program over the summer and then...just stopped. I was doing well, too. The area around here is great for running - there are several ways to vary it - so I really have no excuse.

Personal
1) Read. I currently have 37 (!) books to read, which I've posted on Goodreads. I want to get through these before I beg/borrow/buy more. And besides, I don't have the space to keep them, so as I go through them, I'll be donating them to the library.
2) Spend less time on my gadgets. The electronic sort. I spend far, far, far too much time on FB, so pulling myself away from that, as well as the TV, will open up more time to accomplish other things I've been neglecting: reading, writing, knitting, exercise... I want to commit to only using the computer if I'm writing emails or letters to friends, or writing my book.
3) Be gentle with myself. I'm my own worst critic and have very little patience or compassion for myself, so a big part of the new year is to just to start liking and accepting myself (and all my accompanying foibles, faults, quirks, and issues) a whole lot more, be patient with myself, and care about me.
4) Be Annie. This ties in with #3 and is something I took from Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" (which you all need to read if you haven't, btw). Essentially, do whatever makes you happy; there's no room for "should," "shouldn't," or anyone else here (apart from "you should be kind to animals and children" of course).

I'm quite pleased with my list. I'm pushing ahead with the main three big goals and have printed out a list of everything to keep by my bed, so I can keep track of things as they go. I've been pleasantly surprised by how things "just happen" when you push forward but don't try to control the ending.

Just let it be...