It’s my birthday! So, I am writing my birthday year in review.
Last May for my mom Marvel’s birthday, I wrote a post, 25 Celebration Ideas for Your Birthday, and included a resource called “A Year in Review”.
Something I am working on is to start doing the things I know will make my life better and practicing what I write about to you on my blog.
Starting with my birthday.
My Birthday Year in Review
I want to celebrate all I have done this past year and plan what I can celebrate in the next. I’m blessed and grateful for another birthday to celebrate.
Journal Prompts for the Past Year
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What are the highlights of the last year? What comes to my mind first?
The highlights this year were my son Ryan’s college graduation and my son Sam’s wedding. Ryan graduated from the University of Minnesota with an Aerospace Engineering degree and found his dream job in Tucson, Arizona. Sam married a wonderful person in a fabulous ceremony on a gorgeous day in a beautiful venue.
It was a great year of celebrations. Planning for Sam’s wedding and going to 4 others gave us a lot of time with family and friends.
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What goals did I achieve or what steps have I taken to get there?
I started this blog last November. Ever since then I have been persistent and continue to work on this venture. I have learned so much and I have so much more to learn.
Another milestone is that I have also learned to stop worrying about what I look like. I do not obsess with my weight anymore. It is not the first thing on my mind everyday and I consider that a huge accomplishment. I was doing a course on Soul Work, and I realized as I was writing out what I felt I was being called to do, nothing about my weight or body came up. That was huge for me as that topic has dominated my journals for many years.
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Where did I visit?
I was lucky enough to travel to a few places this year. We went on our road trip to Florida in January. In February my nephew got married in Mexico and I went to Sedona, AZ with friends. I also traveled to Tampa, FL for a blogging conference.
We went to Green Bay for a football game last fall and we made our annual trip to Brainerd in August. Plus, the many trips to the cabin. Although those trips were less than I wanted because we were so busy with all of the other highlights of the year. Not a bad problem to have. I have always wanted to travel more, and I am continuing to manifest that dream now.
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Who did I meet?
My new daughter in law’s family. They are wonderful and we are so blessed that our children met.
I also met some new friends through my blog. I am working with a couple of mentor’s who I consider a friend and I love hearing from all the people visiting my website or Facebook page and leaving messages.
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Did I make any mistakes? What did I learn from them?
This is not really a mistake, but I am still not eating healthy or following a plan. I beat myself up most days for eating something outside of what I consider healthy. I know that is completely wrong and contrary to what I write about here, but that is one of my hardest habits to break. There is a difference between being healthy and worrying about what you look like. I want to focus on healthy.
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What do I need to let go of?
Guilt!
I need to let go of the guilt of moving my dad to a nursing home. That’s a tough one, but it is getting better with time.
I also need to let go of the guilt of taking time and doing things for myself while saying no to others. Being a fairly new empty nester and starting this new venture working on my own with my blog is harder than I thought it would be to adjust to. I need to give myself the time and energy to make it work.
As I do my birthday year in review, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the sadness. My Dad’s dementia, 2 of my brothers in laws surgeries, and the loss of a couple friends. Reminders to live everyday choosing to be happy and enjoying every moment.
Journal Prompts for the Next Year
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What do I want to do for my next birthday? What plans do I need to make?
I would love to plan a trip with my husband and kids. Even if it is just for a weekend. I will find a place and make sure everyone writes the weekend down on their calendars to save the date!
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What do I need more of in my life?
The first thing that came to mind is the courage to take risks! I want to jump out of my comfort zone and try new things. I want to write and publish to my heart’s content, do some guest blogs and freelancing.
In January I am spending a month in Tucson, which is a little scary, but my son will be there, and I already have two weekends planned with visitors.
I want to try and find more adventures to take on a weekly basis.
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What goals do I have for the next year?
We are doing a little remodeling and I am moving my home office. I am very excited to keep working on that. It is going to be out of the main living area of our home, so I can treat it more like a working office. I’m excited to work hard every day, writing and learning and finding a productive schedule that allows me to grow my blog. Then still have time for running the household and spending time with family and friends.
My second goal is to respect my body and find a healthy wellness plan that feels good to me. That will include an eating plan and regular fitness routine. Although I don’t obsess over my weight anymore, I think I would be a healthier person if I lost 20 pounds. It might take care of some of my aches and pains.
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Pick one goal and break it apart in tiny steps to achieve by my next birthday.
Healthy wellness plan.
Meal planning is key and a habit I need to get into. Friday mornings I will plan the next week of meals when I am planning the rest of my schedule. That way I will have the whole weekend to get what I need and start meal prepping. I really like to relax on Sundays, so that is not always the best day for me to do everything I need to do to meal prep.
I will start the first month eliminating bread from my diet. In the past, that is one of the most effective ways for me to lose weight.
I will add another exercise class to my schedule, starting with a cardio class on Thursdays.
I am going to re-read my posts Small Things I Can Do to Eat Healthier and Fitness Motivation, because I need to start following my own advice to you!
By my next birthday, I will be telling you all about how good I feel and how happy I am that I finally stuck to a plan. If you see me around, feel free to ask how I am doing to keep me accountable!
How Am I Celebrating My Birthday
We all know that celebrating a birthday can take a week, month or depending on what the number is, even a year!
My feeble attempt at a selfie at the top of this page is right after I had an afternoon at the spa getting pampered.
For the last 2 years we have gone to Green Bay, Wisconsin over my birthday weekend to watch a Packer game and stay with friends. We are continuing that tradition this weekend. My daughter is driving up from Milwaukee to stay with us too. It is always a lot of fun!
However, I probably won’t be able to get any self-care on my actual birthday, so maybe I’ll take a day on Monday for that!
Here’s what I hope to do:
- Wake up and do my morning routine of journaling, coffee and reading
- Go to my Pilates class
- Grab a Chai Latte on my way home
- Cuddle up on my couch and read my book for as long as I want
Then I can do whatever else I need to do that day.
Simple but lovely!
So, there you have it, my birthday year in review. Now its your turn! Go to my Resources page to print out the PDF. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up here. Your email can be my birthday present?. (If you forgot the password, check your last email from me.)
Please share it with me! I would love to hear about your year too.
I hope your birthday is going to be as wonderful as mine will be and all of your wishes come true!
Happy Birthday!