Sigh. Fail.

I hate to use that word. Really. But there has been a lack of success this week.

I was super ambitious about these goals and this whole idea. I still am, and I think it's a great way to hold me accountable and learn about myself throughout the process. However, even though my goals didn't seem as if they were too lofty, I have already not been able to keep up with them and it's only Wednesday!

Making time for my dog? Who would have thought that would be hard? I love that mischievous pint-sized pooch more than anything, but I can't seem to just sit and PLAY for 20 minutes. I even tried the other day to play with her that long, and she passed out cold on the floor after a few minutes! (Pirate costume of said pup shown below. My tablet is not letting me move my pictures into the body of the text! Grr...)

And three bottles of water a day... that should be easy! Easy!! We're talking your basic 16 oz plastic water bottle. But I haven't been able to do it. I'm just not thirsty enough. Does that mean I failed, or does that mean it just isn't necessary?

Maybe I should rethink my goal plans. Trying to do something daily may not work with my unpredictable work schedule. (I also didn't plan for my washer hose to explode all over my kitchen while running my garbage disposal yesterday during my planned workout/get-stuff-done time!) I have been focusing more on work, which I have seriously lacked doing with the cold winter months, so at least I redirected my energy!

Here are some great things that I did accomplish this week!

1) I made ratatouille, which may be the first dish I have made with THAT many ingredients. Look how colorful! And to top it off, I got the super-picky boyfriend to eat most of this mysterious meal. Most. I may have finished the rest of his dinner for my own dinner tonight. 

2)  I finally got back to lifting weights. Running has been my fall-back plan because it's easier to do when I'm tired.

3) I have been doing well at tracking my finances to a "t"! That doesn't mean that the reflection of my spending habits have been ok.... but hey, that ratatouille was expensive to make!

I am going to try for maybe one or two goals a week rather than four. It is just too overwhelming to do something daily!

Do you ever make goals for yourself that you just can't keep, no matter how hard you try?  What are your tricks for holding yourself accountable?

Arrrrr, you don't have time for me?!

So
So

So pretty! And SO much food!

Sewage explosion in the kitchen. A wet and smelly disaster.

Week 1: Win! Goals for week 2.

I'm excited about my accomplishments last week!

I completed all 4 of the goals that I listed for myself, ending my week with a 3-page hand-written letter to a dear friend of mine in Denver. I know had I not written it down as a goal, I would have never sat down to write a letter in my own handwriting. It felt great! Now I get to reward myself with a little gift!

For this week, I am a bit late getting these goals out.

Food: I feel great without sweeteners. I'm going to try it for the second week in a row. I'm also going to try to drink 3 bottles of water a day. I'm always thirsty!

Finances: Read the second chapter of the Suze Orman book "Women and Money" to learn more about my money. (If you have not read this book, it's wonderful so far! The idea is to read a chapter each month and try to make those changes that you learn during that month. Great idea.)

Fun: Set aside 20 minutes a day to play with Reese, my dog. I'll teach her a new trick by the end of the week!

Work: Organize an event for the team. Maybe all do a 5K together? Volunteer somewhere?

My reward this week will be an athletic sweatshirt that I have had my eye on... I realized that I only own one sweatshirt the other day.

What are your financial goals this year?

So it begins.

The biting winter cold, as usual, has left me uninspired and practically drooling all over myself while I eat endless bowls of popcorn and continue to create an even deeper dent in the couch cushions of my couch.

There must be an end to this slump. I told myself that splurging on a tablet would have to directly result in some productivity. So far, it has only amounted to an obsession with dowloading new apps and watching endless episodes of American Horror Story and How I Met Your Mother.

That ends today!

I have started to journal (in an app I finally like!) that has my little brain bursting at the seams with ideas for a blog. What would the subject be? How could I inspire myself with this blog? What would be my goal with writing it? Here were my "criteria":

- It has to be something that I want to write. My therapist tells me, "if you want to do something, you will do it. You want a blog? You would have done it already if you truly wanted to." Right? I think so.
- It has to be something that I can hold myself accountable for doing. I'm not going to say I need to write X amount of posts a week, but I can't slack.
- It has to better me as a person, in some way. There has to be a purpose other than a creative outlet!
- It will have a theme, but I can write whatever I want. It doesn't always have to be on subject.

My subject will be willpower.

Willpower. Something that I could not find in 2012, and that I will discover in 2013. So is the birth of "weeks of willpower".

Every week, I am going to start on Sunday with a pre-planned set of goals. They will be across multiple categories. If I can achieve these by the end of the week, I will reward myself with a little treat. I can continue with a goal the following week and turn it into a monthly goal, but I can't eat the elephant whole. I will work my way up to this.