Category Archives: goals

On Running…

Posted in aspirations, festive, goals, melanie kristy by

photo courtesy of The Color Run dot Com

Have I told you that I signed up for a 5k? No?

I’ve never been able to run. In grade school I was that girl who finished twenty minutes after everyone else’s 8 minute run with my steady walk. I cheated around the corners of the track and fields we had to lap, I decided that one lap really meant to, I didn’t give a shit about stupid health exams. They ask you to run once a year and record your time. Like that means anything in the grand scheme of healthiness.

But anyway. I still can’t run. And the 5k I’m doing is in a month from today. I realized yesterday that it’s been a month (!!!!) since I attempted my Couch to 5k program.

The 5k I signed up for is called The Color Run. (Because Gala was talking about it, really). It looks amazing. And the only reason I signed up really is because at every kilometer people on the sidelines throw colored talc-like powder at you. And you end up all sweaty… but colorful at the same time. And I’ve always wanted to do a 5k. It seemed like the perfect motivation.

Obviously it hasn’t been the perfect motivation.

Because my sneakers started to hurt, I needed to wait until I had the money to buy running sneakers (and be properly fitted and run on a treadmill while a girl videotaped my legs running), and running is hard, man. And then I got a cold. I can run for about 30 seconds at a time. In intervals between that and walking, I Can do about twenty minutes. Something tells me that won’t get me very far.

So I figured out what 3 miles is near my house (if you didn’t know, a 5k is 3.1 miles). I plan to walk around the blog every day I can, timing myself and aiming to go faster and faster. If I do it in under an hour, that’s 20 minute miles,  out of shape me walking very fast. (While my out of shape friend Karen, who agreed to get all rainbow-y with me is aiming for a 35 minute 5k. I am practically running this thing ALONE).

So I’m still not a runner. I’m not even really a fast walker. I’m a girl with a cold whose throat is too dry to allow her to finish sentences who weighs too much to really run who has a month left to “train” to get colored talc powder thrown at her.

I’m hoping it’s not one of those 95+ degree days like the ones we were having last week. But otherwise, I’m still pretty damn excited.

I’ll update you in a month, assuming I survive this endeavor.

xo.

Reasons to be Inspired for 2012

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It might be the end of the world in 12 months. It probably won’t be, but then again, your world might end tomorrow. This is why 2012 needs to be the year to LIVE IT UP. It’s the year to let go of all your fears, remember that child that lives inside you and enjoy your life.

So I’m assigning you a task:  write out a huge long list of things to be excited about in 2012. These are things that might not happen, stuff you want to make happen or even just little things like the fact that it’ll be spring in however many days!!! I start my spring countdown on January 1st. It gets me through the winter. Plan out an awesome vacation you may or may not actually take. Find lots of pictures to look at of that destination. Read the Happiness Project and plan one for yourself.

Listen to the Counting Crows, specifically Long December on repeat until you fall asleep for an amazing nap. Don’t worry about all those extra calories you ate in December. Give the left overs away and start fresh right this moment. Forgive yourself and move on.

Think about 2011. Can you narrow it down to a few words? I think, for me, 2011 was Learning and Awareness.

Lastly, set a word for your upcoming year. I’ve narrowed mine down to: transformation, self-clarity, and love. And also Health.

NaNo Wednesday, The End & November Review

Posted in aspirations, festive, goals, NaNoWrimo, writing by
So we’ve reached the end of November so much quicker than the other months this year, I swear!
Last week I reached my 50,000 word goal. I’ve spent the past few days mostly not writing but brainstorming and figuring out where to go now. The story’s not finished, but the scenes have been thought up. I’m just one step closer.
While I’ve completed NaNoWriMo one time previous in 2004 when I was in college and just barely working, I’ve learned something this year that’s really big for me. I do have the time to write a novel, even if I’m working 40+ hours weekly. And I can find the energy to do so.
I’ve learned that waking up an hour before I need to (on mornings where I don’t open) is incredibly beneficial. I can get over a thousand words on the page. I can make myself breakfast. Once I’m finished writing I’m actually hungry. After my work day I feel like I’m semi accomplished. I can relax. But I don’t have to. While I’d like to continue to do this, but maybe work out in the mornings, this is a work in progress. I can’t beat the urge to keep sleeping so easily. But I won’t give up.
As far as my November goals, go…
I did not work out as much as I planned, nor did I reach my weight loss goal.
I managed to cook two new recipes, instead of four
I really skimped on blogging this month. All of my writing energy went toward my novel, so my deepest apologies!
 I can’t even remember any other goals for right now. So I probably didn’t accomplish them. Oops!
xo

NaNoWriMo Wednesday: Writing Tips and Advice

Posted in goals, NaNoWrimo, writing by

Are you in the middle of a marathoning NaNoWriMo writing session? Or just enjoying watching your Facebook friends struggle to meet some sort of almost impossible word goal for the month while you decide to purposefully not write anything in November, not even Tweet? Or maybe you’re just tired of reading about me talking about writing so often (if that’s the case, you’re reading the wrong blog, sweetheart). No matter what your situation is I have some links to share that might get you through your writing slump and back into the marathon.

Why Sara Zarr is inspired by failure
The creative process, and the creative life, is mostly full of moments between the idea and the being done, the spark and the blazing fire, the shimmering magic and the finished piece. We’re always living in the gap between our vision of what could be and what might be, and what is.

Don’t Avoid Painful Writing
We must reveal that part of ourselves that we’d rather hide. But this is the part of you we’re all longing to see.

Learn From The Greats: 7 Writing Habits of Amazing Writers
6. James Joyce. In the pantheon of great writers of the last century, Joyce looms large. And while more prolific writers set themselves a word or page limit, Joyce prided himself in taking his time with each sentence. A famous story has a friend asking Joyce in the street if he’d had a good day writing. Yes, Joyce replied happily. How much had he written? Three sentences, Joyce told him.

How to Flourish in Your Writing
Always have great kindness for yourself. Look over your shoulder: there is no one there. No one cares if you write. It has to come from you, from your effort. There is no hierarchy in writing; you elbow your way into the lineage by your human effort. It is democratic and should be in the declaration of independence—the right to liberty, justice, the pursuit of happiness, and writing. Only human beings write. Clouds don’t, ants don’t.

 

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Basil

Posted in food, goals by

I am not much of a cook. Not because I lack the skills, but mostly because I lack the desire. Baking is a lot more fulfilling to me, so I’ve barely bothered with cooking. However, I decided that in order to help aid in my goal to lose 10 pounds this month, I should cook a few times. I started my goal with four times this month and I feel this is attainable because it’s on chance a week to try something new and tasty and to gain health at the same time.

I found Kalyn’s Kitchen one day while I was searching for recipes (which I do frequently, it’s just the cooking part that I don’t often partake in) and in a mood to print out meals I aspire to make.

I tried this recipe first because the ingredients made my mouth water and because it was a quick simple recipe to try, but also because it wasn’t just baked chicken. When I cook, I like to cook something different. I like to experiment or try ethnic foods (note to future husband: you must not be a picky eater).

So last night I cooked chicken stuffed with goat cheese, sun dried tomato pesto and basil ala this recipe. It was delicious. (I halved the recipe because I didn’t buy enough goat cheese, and also I figured I could make something else with the extra chicken I bought).



If you’re intrigued, I highly recommend you try it!

Do you have any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

Goals for November 2011

Posted in aspirations, goals by


(weheartit)

If I write them, I might accomplish them.

* lost 10 lbs (I’ve decided that ten is a realistic and doable number to work toward monthly as long as I do the work)
* finish NaNoWrimo (only … words to go!)
* go to the gym five times a week, 30+ minutes as session
* cook four new recipes
* start my new “get stuff done” plan
* blog consistently (mwfs)

Do you keep weekly/ monthly/ yearly goals? Want to share yours?

To Do In June

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(credit)

Looking for something to do in the month of June? I have two suggestions for you.

Why not try out 30 Days of Creativity? It’s aim is to challenge you to do something creative for thirty whole days in a row. I plan to write every day. Creating sentences like only I know how! … or something like that. Hope for more blog posts.

Want a real challenge? Join Spoonful of Sugar-Free’s Sugar-Free Challenge. Eliminate sugars, hidden sugars and artificial sweeteners from your diet for the first ten days in June. I’m already anxious just thinking about it. But that’s a good thing. It means I need to detox. I’ll write more about this soon… assuming that I actually complete it. (I’ve tried before… I’ll try again…).

It’s April! March Goal Updates and New Goals for April

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(weheartit.com)

So March was a win/fail for me as far as goals go, but I think overall I had a pretty great month. It’s finally spring, I don’t always need to wear a jacket and it wasn’t dark at 7pm tonight! Anyway, here’s how I did in March for my goals:

1. Go to the gym or work out at least three times a week. This just didn’t happen. At all. Oops.
2. Post here 3 times a week. I didn’t quite hit this, but it wasn’t too bad.
3. Launch my second blog. Post there (you guessed it) three times a week. Again, not quite with the amount of posts… And I haven’t launched it quite yet.
4. Sit down with my HP Mini, probably elsewhere, and write three times a week. I don’t think this happened three times a week, it happened when ever I felt like I had the time/ energy to write. But I did do it.
5.Pick up my bridesmaid dress and eat amazing pizza (check!) Yes, absolutely.
6. go on a date. Yes. In fact I went on four.
7.  try a new kind of food. Not in the way I was hoping for, no.
8.play on swings I almost did a couple times, but it was mostly too cold.
9.  celebrate the equinox with someone awesome (any takers? It’s SUNDAY MARCH 20th). Yeah, this totally happened. I am so specific and good at sharing details.

 

Okay, so now… goals for April? Sounds like a plan. They’re semi repeats, but that’s okay.

1. Work out 3 times a week
2. My high weight loss goal would be to lose 13 more pounds this month.
3. Keep up with blog posting… that means three times a week.
4. Complete a short story.
5. Play on swings.
6. Clean and organize. One subject for each week…
books and shelves
closet
clothes
over all rest of my room

 

My allergies have been so bad for the past week and a half, I’ve been too tired to stay awake past 8pm (I do it anyway) and my right eye has been watering nonstop for an entire week. So maybe it’ll be better in April? Here’s to hoping!

Anyone else have any plans/ goals for April? You can read Penny’s (Of Star-Stuff)  March accomplishments here.

 

Welcome To March

Posted in festive, goals, lists, love, passion, Uncategorized by

(wehearit)

Take a big, deep breath in. Close your eyes. Exhale slowly through your nose. Do you smell that? It’s the scent of winter fading. It’s the smell of hope. Feel the warmth on your cheeks, sunlight will be amongst us soon.

March feels like a huge exhale after the long rough winter. “Spring” weather doesn’t even typically arrive here until April, sometimes later. I distinctly remember one year during elementary school we had a snow day on April First!

Anyway, in the spirit of what Penny from Star-Stuff did in her blog, I’m going to do the same. Goals for March.

Since it’s the third month of the year, my goals are themed by threes.

1. Go to the gym or work out at least three times a week.
2. Post here 3 times a week.
3. Launch my second blog. Post there (you guessed it) three times a week.
4. Sit down with my HP Mini, probably elsewhere, and write three times a week.

Hmm, this all sounds like work. (And, I have a lot of catching up to do, already!). I’ll add in some fun stuff like:

1. Pick up my bridesmaid dress and eat amazing pizza (check!)
2. go on a date
3. try a new kind of food
4. play on swings
5. celebrate the equinox with someone awesome (any takers? It’s SUNDAY MARCH 20th).

How are you spending your March?

lovelovelove,
Melanie.Kristy

Goals for Twenty-Six

Posted in aspirations, blogging, goals, lists, quarter life crisis by

(credit)

I feel like I spend every year vowing to straighten myself out. And I guess I’m going to spend this year doing the same. I want twenty-six to be filled with doing things that are going to get me somewhere.

♥ Go somewhere during vacation time. Whether it’s New Mexico, California, Italy or South Korea, GO SOMEWHERE. (And maybe just stay there. I can come back some other time…)

♥ Make a huge dent in the money situation. I don’t feel like I need to further explain that on here.

♥ Lose weight. Set amount is not important to this blog at this moment of time.

♥ Complete a novel. (My NaNo story?) And at least three short stories. Submit them places.

♥ Develop a weekly yoga habit and stick to it. I really did feel better while I was practicing.

♥ Take steps toward finding a career, whether it be getting a certificate to teach English as a Second Language, applying for grad school or something else.

<3.Melanie.Kristy