Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Triple G: Grit, Gratitude, and Giving


Last year is one for the books. It's been released and bid adieu to, and now I am ready to open my arms to 2014.  I always like to share a little preview of my goals for the year ahead, as I think declaring your intentions and aspirations to the Universe is a very powerful first step to seeing them fulfilled.

My goal-setting process always begins by picking a theme for the year. My theme for 2014 is Triple G, with the "G" standing for grit, gratitude and giving.

Due to reflecting on gratitude back in November for this post, I really got inspired to work on my gratitude skills and thus gratitude has become a pillar for my 2014.  I've started a daily gratitude journal, where each night I jot down a few sentences about what I'm thankful for that day. Already this practice is helping me to focus on gratitude all day long, as I throughout the day I start thinking ahead about what I'm going to write down that evening.

And because I'm feeling so much gratitude for life right now, I want to expand that and pay it forward by focusing more on community service.  This service is manifesting in my life in a couple of different ways. Due to my credentials as a CPA, I've been asked to serve on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for Humanities Washington, which is Washington State's non-profit humanities chapter. I'm very honored to have been asked and have accepted.  Additionally, I've applied to be a Girls on the Run coach for their spring program. Growing up, I played a lot of sports, including swimming, gymnastics, running, and to a lesser extent diving and tennis. In addition to being active and boosting my health, sports taught me many great life skills: how to work as a member of a team, self-confidence and positive body image, perseverance when times are tough, determination to succeed, and the ability to push yourself to your edge.  I want to help pass these skills onto other young girls. I should receive my coaching assignment in about a month!

And finally grit. I'm going to do something this year I said I would never do: run a half-marathon. In addition to dance, I'm very active each week, doing a mix of running, interval training, barre, and indoor cycling. And I'm ready to take my physical stamina to the next level by running (and finishing!) the Lululemon Seawheeze half marathon in August. Additionally, I've also already signed up to do the Warrior Dash in July, which is an obstacle-coursed based 5k run.  This will be another great test of grit.

Those are my big focuses for the year, but of course, I always have a slew of smaller fun goals in mind as well. These include getting back into ballet, which I quit just about a decade ago after just starting pointe. Playing my violin in a community orchestra again. I played regularly through high school, and since then it's been a bit more hit and miss, but lately my soul is just itching to make music again. I also think this is the year I finally get a tattoo. I've wanted one for almost 20 years now, but have had a hard time deciding what I wanted. Now that I've finally wanted the same design for a number of years now, I think it's time to make it permanent.  Time and money allowing, I always try to take an annual international vacation.  After so much time spent recently around the Mediterranean, I think it's time to switch things up a bit and head somewhere tropical. A Costa Rica vacation with surfing and scuba diving is currently topping the list. And lastly, I believe I've caught the Katniss / Merida / elves from the Hobbit craze, because I put down taking an archery class on my list for the year as well.

And finally I have a rollover goal from last year: to write a book on pursuing your passions while working a 9-to-5. I've already started writing this and am pleased as punch to say the words are just flowing from me. 

So that's my vision for the year ahead. It will be definitely be busy, but I'm feeling jazzed and energized about it. The ball is already rolling on a number of these and I'm excited to see how the year plays out. To bring it all together, I made the vision board pictured above as a daily reminder of what I want to embody for the year.

Your turn. What big, life-affirming goals do you have planned for the year? I'd love to hear all about it!

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