A New Blog for the New Year

Today, it’s snowing in Chicago.  The first snow of the season actually.  A perfect day to put on your heavy winter coat, hat, gloves and boots and march over to a cozy cafe to hang out with some friends, read a book or start a new blog over a cappucino or two…or three.  My plan is to start blogging at least once every week and right now seems to be as good a time as any to start this practice.  However, please take note:

THIS IS NOT A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION.

I never liked making new year’s resolutions.  They were always a set up for disappointment because they are too easy to break.  Plus, resolutions are never really original ideas are they?  Isn’t it annoying to go to the gym and find out that hundreds of others had the same resolution as you did, to work out in the new year?  I say skip the resolutions and show up to the gym in mid-February.  Most people will have given up and the gym will be all yours again.

Instead, I say spend the first weeks of January making a list of things or practices that you would like add to your life throughout the year to enhance it and bring you joy.  You might start on the first day of the year with both feet on the ground running.  But what if you started a couple weeks later?  So what?  I say resolve to sit down and make your plan and figure out how to tackle it logically.

Do you want to learn to take better photos with a DSLR camera?  Learn to paint or draw?  Now is the time to research and sign up for a class that will get you there over time.  Do you want to work out more?  Instead of pounding yourself at the gym every day on the treadmill or lifting weights (which is great if that’s your thing), why not commit to a yoga or zumba class once or twice a week.  Small steps are less offensive, more flexible and you are more likely to keep up.  Why burn out by the end of January?  Success comes from having a plan and being consistent.  Also, it comes from not beating yourself up when you miss a workout, or ate something you didn’t plan on.  Accept that you are not perfect and know that tomorrow is a brand new day.

RESET!  Now go!

So, what kind of things should be on your list?  It can be anything, but there is only one rule:  IT SHOULD BRING YOU JOY.  =)  If it doesn’t bring you happiness or make your life better, why do it?

Here are a few things I would like to tackle in the 2015:

1. Learning Italian – I have already taken about a  year’s worth of Italian classes and made some really good friends in class, but now the hard part begins.  The grammar is getting more complicated.  The rules are getting more rigid, and the exceptions to the rules are plentiful.  But I LOVE IT.  It’s always good to keep your mind busy, and learn new things.  It’s how to stay young.  My classes start January 17th on Saturday afternoons.  It will be 4 hours of Italian immersion.  What a great way to escape every day life once a week.

2. Build a Capsule Wardrobe – I saw this concept on Un-fancy and let me tell you, it had my name written all over it.  What a great idea!  How many of us have a closet full of clothes that “will fit in 10 lbs”?  Or a closet full of trends, that are no longer?  Or you just feel like “I have nothing to wear?”  The capsule wardrobe is about minimalism.  It allows you to have about 30-40 pieces of clothes (tops, pants, dresses, jackets and shoes) that you LOVE for every season, with some overlap.  You should be able to mix and match these items and always feel put together and stylish.  I started purging my closet on Friday.  I already feel better.

3. Quitting Sugar – I tried Sarah Wilson’s “I Quit Sugar” program last year and LOVED it.  I lost 12 lbs with hardly any effort.  When has that ever happened?  More importantly, it made me feel good and in control of what I was eating.  It was orderly, well planned and delicious.   I never had to worry about what I was going to eat for breakfast or stress about lunch or dinner, there was already a plan in place.  Eating this way takes out the guess work and reduces the likelihood of making poor choices.  I’m starting the new 8 week program on January 22nd!

So, let’s all have a great New Year and I hope that you will enjoy reading about me as I start on my blogging adventures.  I promise to keep you posted on my 2015 list.  I would love to hear about yours.

Wishing everyone the best for a 2015, full of love, adventure, health and happiness.

– Kallie