Checking in on My 2012 Goals and New Goals for 2013!

Here we are at the very last day 2012, about to enter 2013, so I thought I would go back and take a look at my goals from last year at this time and see how things went for me.  This year had some unexpected twists and turns (deployments and trainings) that threw a wrench into some of these goals, but as a military spouse, I expect that.  You just can't plan for it! 

1. Physical Activity at least 4 days a week- I would say that I reached this goal at about 75% for the year.  I was on the road traveling for 10 weeks total of the year and did not make it to a gym during that time.  Instead, I stayed active by walking a lot during my travels.  Most days I was walking a few miles, maybe even 5+ in some locations.  In Australia I even went hiking one day to maintain an active lifestyle.  While Ryan was deployed I was in the gym at least 4 days a week, but since he came home I have only been going 2-3 times.  I also nearly doubled my work schedule at WIC (temporarily) so that make it hard to get everything done for my other jobs and school, with limited time for sleep.  After Ryan came home I decided that a bigger priority was spending time with him (can you blame me, he spent a few months in Afghanistan!).  However, things are getting back to normal around here and I plan to get back into this for 2013.  I will be going back to my normal 20 hours a week at WIC and then will have more time to fit in my workouts (more than just walking the dog).

2. Cook dinner at least 2 nights a week- This went really well for the first part of the year.  Then the travel started.  Without a kitchen for around 10 weeks of the year, this was not possible!  When Ryan was deployed I cooked, but not "real" cooking.  I may have made some pasta and heated up some frozen veggies to add to it, but rarely did I cook anything from a recipe during that time.  Some nights I would cook and share with my neighbor, but for the most part, I just tossed together some things and called it dinner.

3. Make more From Scratch Weekends creations- Nope, not even close!  We talked about it, but apparently that was all talk.  I think in 2013 we need to bring back our From Scratch Weekends.

4. Tweet more nutrition tips- Initially I was into this, but as time became limited and I was working more hours, something had to take a back seat.  Twitter was it.  But, I am still out there on Twitter and hope to connect more with you there.  If you aren't following me, make sure to start now! I'm @RDontheMove.

5. Get started on a writing a book- This was definitely a success.  Not only did I start writing a book, I finished it.  And it is for sale already!!!  If you haven't seen it, it is called Train Your Brain to Get Thin.  It is available in stores and online.  After the new year, I will be giving away another copy on my blog.

6. Read more books for fun- Yes and no on this one.  I actually read more books this year than the previous, but it was still not what I was hoping for.  Maybe because I started a doctoral program and had to devote a lot of time to academic reading.  Good thing I find that material very interesting!

7. Continue with my travels around the world- Major success for this.  I spent about 10 weeks total away from home.  It started in February when we went to Sapporo for the Snow Festival.  Then in May/June I spent 5 weeks traveling in Israel (I actually went twice during these 5 weeks), Spain (I even attended a friends wedding in Spain), France (twice! and even took a cooking class while there), Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.  When I came back, Ryan and I spent 1 week in Tokyo.  A few weeks later I was off to Australia for 3 weeks!  I would say that I did a fine job traveling the world in 2012.

8. Grow my private practice- There was an unexpected bump here, but this turned out to be a good thing.  Once I started at WIC I was pretty much unable to see private clients because of the potential for conflict of interest.  Instead I sell my book through this company and donate nutrition services when auctions come up.  I am available for consult, but I am not actively advertising this.  Plus, I post tips on FB on my company page.  Don't forget to "like" me on Facebook. 

9. Learn Japanese- I took all of the free classes offered on base and wanted to start with the classes at a local community center, however my travel schedule prohibited me from started.  Maybe in 2013, but I can't make any promises.  I think instead I will work on self learning using my books at home.

 

10. Update my blog- I had intentions of updating my blog, but my go-to person had a baby (technically that would be his wife) and that made him a little tied and I just never came back to the idea.  But, looking over things again, I think this is something I am interested in for 2013.  I think it will get me back on track with my own blogging.  That got away from me when I was lacking material without my husband around.  I was working on a book and spending a lot of time doing "boring" things.  I just didn't have anything to post and limited time for writing outside of my "jobs".  Now with my work schedule changing and having my husband back in Japan, I think I will have a lot more to blog about!

So it looks like I was partially successful in 2012.  The good news is that while some planned goals did not pan out, I had many unexpected good things pop up and this meant I had an amazing 2012.  For me, I think I was very successful overall.  I started a doctoral degree, started guest blogging on 2 RD websites, wrote a book, submitted my first paper to a journal (still waiting to hear, so fingers crossed!), continued with my volunteer activities in dietetics and as a military spouse, and I got a job on base with WIC (on base, good paying jobs in your field are hard to come by on overseas bases).  I would say I had a pretty amazing 2012 and I look forward to seeing what 2013 holds for me.

Here are my goals for 2013:

1. Physical Activity at least 4 days a week

2. Cook Dinner at least 2 days a week

3. Make more From Scratch Weekends Creations

4. Create more of an @RDontheMove presence on Twitter

5. Continue with my world travels

6. Continue learning Japanese

7. Promote myself as a Nutrition Expert (through guest blogging, my own blog and my FB page)

8. Update my blog

9. Get published in a professional journal 

10. Continue working on my doctoral degree

Well, there you have it (and now you can keep me to it!), my recap of 2012 and my goals for 2013.  Some may seem boring or seem like things I should be doing and don't need to really set as my goal (like continuing with school), but some of these are difficult to maintain so I like to keep them as goals written down on paper.  This will help me stay on track and remember what was important to me at the beginning of the year.  I prefer goals to resolutions.  I have never liked that word.  I feel like goals better meet my needs.  They are fluid, they are dynamic, they are lead to smaller milestones I can set and reach easily throughout the year.  They are not these lofty resolutions that loom over my head and I beat myself up over when I don't stick with them after the first few weeks of the new year.  Some aren't meant to be achieved in January.  I have all year to work on these goals.  Rather than resolving to do something, I am determined to better myself by achieving these goals...the goals that are what I want, not what society things should be my resolutions for the year.  So that is where I am with looking back on last year and forward to the next.  How about you?

QUESTIONS:  What are your goals for 2013?  Did you meet your goals for 2012?  How will you spend NYE?