So, we’re a little more than a quarter of the way through the year (nearly a third!) so I figured I should do a quick update on where things stand with my resolutions.
1. Get healthy – This is actually happening. No, really! Started Lite’N’Easy in January. Now, I’ma fussy eater, but I have nothing but praise for the food I’ve been receiving. The breakfasts are delicious, the lunches are always varied and who doesn’t like a diet that allows you to eat Macaroni Cheese every night if you want to (and wow, is their macaroni cheese delicious!). I do the 5 days (Monday to Friday) so that we’ve got some leniency on what we have on the weekends. Also allows us to eat out if we choose.
Exercise has been up and down. I did join the gym and was a regular for a while. Slipped for a bit due to injury and illness, but slowly working myself back up. I’m now back there twice a week – arm workouts on Sundays and leg workouts on Tuesdays.
I also do Yoga on Thursday nights – this has seen the biggest improvement in my overall well-being. Not only am I more flexible and have better posture, I am also learning to stress less and to let go of things. Will get to that more in No. 8.
Oh, one other benefit from Yoga – I’m now nearly 2cm taller than I was before thanks to better posture and stretching the spine. Alex isn’t too impressed by that part 😛
2. Stop bleeding money – Yes and no. We’ve certainly stopped wasting money. Our savings are increasing. Our debts are generally decreasing. We’re not in the money “happy place” just yet, but we’re getting there! And for those wondering, the only Lego purchases I have made this year were for a) my birthday, b) the Lego Shell cars (at $8 each) and c) with gift cards from participating in a study. So no, my Lego addiction is not bankrupting us 🙂
3. Work on getting my Microsoft Certification – Yeah, this has slipped. It’s not that I don’t want to do it. It’s just that there are a few more important things going on right now. I’ve decided to not go ahead with the 2008 certification and instead push for a 2012 certification. I’ve got access to the servers and I just need to work on improving my skills. So maybe I’ll get there by the end of this year 🙂
4. Attempt to finish my Bachelors degree – This might actually happen. I’m studying again this semester, working on some business subjects (Management, actually, another topic for a blog post that I’m working on) and I’m doing well. Taking a year off to focus on work when I changed jobs was a good idea, but it is nice to get back into it. As much as I complain about it, I do enjoy studying. And no, that doesn’t mean I’m going for my Masters as soon as I’ve finished this course…give me a year or two 🙂
5. Not let work control my life – This one was surprisingly easier than I expected. I’ve now got a fair few hobbies that I enjoy doing, I have a wide circle of friends and I have a house that I enjoy spending time in doing sweet FA! This has enabled me to put work in it’s place and not think about it outside of work hours. I do confess, I still check my work email on Sunday nights to see what’s coming up and if I leave work early, I have a tendency to check my email at around 5pm, just to see if there’s something I need to be aware of for the next day. But I don’t spend hours and hours working on jobs that can wait until the next day. Yes, I do go on-call and I am paid for the time I spend doing that work. But when I’m not on-call, I don’t let it control my life. It’s actually quite a fantastic feeling!
6. I want to go on holidays somewhere that isn’t my own house – We actually did this in the first few months of the year. Wow! How organised am I! We went away to Montville (Sunshine Coast hinterlands) for a few days over the Easter break. It was fabulous. We’re looking at booking another trip mid-year (June-July) and another one in October/November. So not only have I fulfilled this New Years resolution, I’ve improved on it! Go me!
7. Go on a defensive driving course – This hasn’t happened yet, but it’s on the cards. Planning on doing this within the next few months. I promise. No, really!
8. Stress less and smile more – I’m trying. I really am. Yoga has helped with the stress. Removing work from my home life has also helped. The smiling more part is harder. I’m naturally a pessimist. I see the glass half empty, which can be hard sometimes. I’m learning to see the glass half-full. I’m learning that there are silver linings to bad things and that not everything that is unplanned will turn out badly. That is making me smile more, but not enough. I’ll keep working on it.
So, all in all, not doing too badly considering there’s still a fair bit of time left in the year!