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Investing in 2014

Published on January 2, 2014 By Emily. Updated on January 2, 2014

Last year I choose a theme word instead of a specific goal as my New Year’s resolution.  This was, of course, in addition to working on the 101 tasks I’ll be completing before the end of this September.  As I wrapped up my year of being intentional, I began thinking about what word I should choose to shape 2014.  Let me share a bit about where my mind’s been the past few months.

For some reason, discussions about self-care have been popping up everywhere lately.  It came up at the Healthy Living Summit.  My grad school professor mentioned it several times this past semester.  It’s in people’s blog posts.  And it has been crossing my mind that I don’t always do what’s best for my body and soul; I like to overcommit and I pride myself on being busy.  Self-care is not something I’m intentional about.  I knew it had to be part of my 2014 goal.

I am also very conscious of the fact that I’ll be turning 30 this year.  I’m not unhappy about it or scared or upset or annoyed or anything, just sort of fascinated.  Me? 30?  Really?  I often feel closer to 17 than 30.  Maybe no one ever feels grown up, despite appearances?  At any rate, I’d like to meet my own definition of 30 a little more closely.  And with 30 being kind of a big deal, I’ve also been thinking about what I want to be at 40 and 50 and 60 and so on.  As the famous quote goes, “Tomorrow you’ll wish you started today”.  This year I want to develop worthwhile habits and skills with long reaching benefits on a number of fronts.

Last year’s goal was all about being intentional – doing things on purpose.  But I feel like so much of that goal was wrapped up in doing as much as possible, in as little time as I could manage.  I  wanted to make lists and check things off.   I was all about spending every moment of my time being productive.  But after a year of that, I’m realizing that it’s important to focus on achieving quality and not just quantity.

So this year, instead of getting things done for the sake of doing them, I’m going to invest.  Some of the things on the following list are very similar to the items I was intentional about last year, but now I want more depth than breadth.  I want to grow, develop and strengthen the things that really matter.

invest 2

I want to invest in:

  • my relationship with God, as a relationship, not as a daily task
  • my relationship with Brian, through meals together, dates and better communication
  • our house, by thoughtfully making improvements and purchasing furniture
  • friendships, through letters, emails, texts and in-person visits 
  • long-term skills, such as sewing, organizing, writing, and of course cooking
  • finances, by continuing to monitor all our spending, getting serious about paying off student loans, putting more into my retirement and making some decisions about future goals
  • myself , because sometimes the best thing you can do for you is put your feet up and rest, paint your nails or go for a walk
  • this blog, with more quality posts and original content
  • my body, by getting back on the long-neglected fitness train
  • causes that matter, such as local organizations and church, where I often talk about being involved but don’t do much in actuality
  • my students as people, because there are more important things than checking off all the Department of Education standards, but I sometimes forget that 
  • my nephews, Brian and I now have nephews on each side of our family so there’s a lot of spoiling to get started on
  • the present moment, whatever it is, because life is short and I don’t want to miss it while staring at my to do list

Related Posts

101 in 1001: One Year In
Goals In Progress: December and 2011 Overall
The Return of Highlights from My Reader
Goals in Progress: May
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Filed Under: life Tagged With: goals, invest 2014

« Final Thoughts on My Word for 2013: Intentional
Kicking Off The Year: January 3-16 Menu Plan »

Comments

  1. Katie says

    January 2, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    I love the idea of Invest. It may be a word of mine in the future. Right now there is too much uncertainty in my life so my word is “peace”

Trackbacks

  1. » Investing in January and February says:
    March 5, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    […] the beginning of the year, I chose invest as my focus word for 2014.  As tends to be the case with goals and […]

  2. » Investing in March and April says:
    May 1, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    […] a post every 2 months to reporting about how it’s going.  Want to catch up? Here’s my introductory post and January and […]

  3. » Investing in Summer–Blog Updates, Home Improvement & Lots of Work says:
    August 28, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    […] that time that I made “invest” my word for 2014?  And then I wrote a nice summary of how that was going at the end of February and again in […]

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Emily
This week I - drove across the state for 4 days of This week I
- drove across the state for 4 days of 8 am to 4 pm professional development
- was incredibly impressed with the facilities and food at @wyliecenter and @tuppermanor
- wandered my undergrad campus at dusk
- started to wrap my head around @openscied
- spent quality time with @ryntintin12
- enjoyed several of Beverly's breweries and restaurants including @thecastlebeverly, @backbeatbrewing, @lavictoriataco, @oldplantersbrewing
- Enjoyed an evening with one of my closest friends from college
- took deep breaths and watched birds at the ocean 
- visited the mall and Whole Foods primarily to see what life is like for the other half of the state
- rediscovered a love of taking the scenic route, making unplanned detours and checking out small towns along the way
It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, in its new location on Main Street in North Adams. The shop is incredible - the displays are great and the plants are delightful. There's a refill station with bottles and jars for soaps, detergents and other products, a terrarium bar, and an abundance of sustainable and beautiful products. I'm now in the process of pondering who I can purchase Plant Connector gifts for in the coming months.
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This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuse This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuseum is a great visit for all ages. The current Voyage to the Deep exhibit, which involves an interactive Nautilus submarine that my 5 year old spent literally hours in.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the Aquarium and Berkshire Backyard. Highly recommended - we'll be back soon!
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My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
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