It’s that time of year.  Resolutions and planning.  If you are into that sort of thing.  (I am into that sort of thing.)  If you don’t think January is an arbitrary start time.  If you find planning and goal setting helpful.

I initially thought that this would not be a big goal year for me.  We’re having a baby any day now.  My main goal is enjoying the baby and figuring out how three kids works.  Seeing if we can move from surviving to thriving in this new scenario.

BUT, after some discussion with a fellow resolution loving friend, I started to think that this could be EXACTLY the time to have some clear goals.  Things are going to get a little crazy.  If there is anything I can be doing to clarify mission, that is probably good.

I put together some priorities for the year and noticed a theme.  Are you ready for the word?  It’s . . .

Simplify

Yup.  This feels right at the moment.

You can see how it applies to my goals:

I’d like to simplify trips.  We’ve done a lot of travel during our first 18 months in Asia.  Instead of trying to go everywhere, the plan is to focus on a few bigger trips.  This will probably look like a trip each quarter.  I’d like to do two beach trips, a trip to New Zealand in the fall, and some type of return to Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas at Christmas.  Even the beach trips represent simplifying.  Instead of doing a ton of sightseeing, we’d like to just take advantage of posting up at some of the stunning scenery here.

I’d like to simplify our house.  We’ve been having some clutter creep lately.  Lovely Christmas presents from generous family and baby stuff have added to the load.  This is particularly bugging me because we seem to be spending more time at home.  The kids are really fun.  Instead of constantly seeking out new adventure (although I still like plenty of new adventure), it’s been nice just to enjoy a meal at home, do a puzzle with the kids, or cuddle with them to watch a movie.  Since we are spending more time at home, I’d like to have that time be as enjoyable as possible.  Simplifying the house and our routine should help.

I would also like to simplify by minimizing waste.   I’ve been extra bummed by all that we throw away lately.  There are plenty of things that we do to reduce waste, but it just never feels like enough.  So. Much. Packaging.  I’ll share more in a separate post, but we want to move beyond just recycling.  We want to bring less stuff into our home.  We want to make more of our own stuff.  Making our own might seem like the opposite of simplify to some, but it just feels right to us right now.

I’m planning to simplify my professional goals.  I wound down teaching my HIIT class in November.  Some have asked when I’m planning to return or what is next.  Honestly, I’m in no hurry to get back to it.  My focus is completing my personal training certification and my postpartum/pregnancy fitness class.  That’s it.  I’m not trying to launch a new program or take on X number of clients or anything specific.  Maybe all of that WILL happen, but it will be gravy.

Similarly, I want to simplify my fitness.  I don’t have any goals about losing weight or getting back to a certain level of fitness by a particular date.  My main goal is giving my body time to heal after the baby.  This means being OK with things not going back to before right away.  I don’t know how long it will take, but I’m trying to be open to waiting.  When I’m ready, I would like to work through Jessie Mundell’s Core + Floor program.   My general goal is to get back to some kind of movement that I enjoy, but mostly healing my body to be ready for that.

That’s mostly it.  Are you setting goals this year?  Do you have a theme word for 2019?  I love hearing what people are up to!