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Shorter version of my big long preface on January's goals: I disappeared last March but now I'm back. I didn't go completely off the rails with fitness, just updating. I changed jobs and that took a lot of my time and it felt too overwhelming to try to update things with everything else going on, especially when my updates are all "I'm surviving, not thriving, and have no time for anything besides the basics of not gaining weight etc." And actually I just got a pretty nice promotion in December and I know it'll be months before I'm comfortable in my new role, so the potential for disappearing is still there, but I feel a lot more comfortable in what I can manage now than I did when leaving a ridiculously shitty job last Spring. I'm much healthier and happier than I was, so I think I can take on more than just focusing on work again. My 2016 theme is "Opportunity favors the prepared." I'm in a better position to pursue a career opportunity when I maintain my network and resume and take time to build my skills. I'm in a better position to go on an amazing last-minute hiking trip if I'm already active and working on being fit. Sure, it's nice to dream about moving to Germany, but it's a lot more likely if I speak the language (classes started in January). And in general, luck seems more likely to come my way when I'm keeping myself happy, healthy, and fulfilled via self care and pursuing my interests. I want the abilities behind me to say yes when I want. And if the last few years are anything to go on, fortune does not seem to favor the person that spends hours everyday staring at her phone or the TV. I am planning on short monthly goals with overarching fitness/career/self-improvement and care themes throughout the year. January was used to re-establish and ingrain foundation habits, including eating well, exercising, and trying to be mindful of how best to keep the habits going forward. February I'm going to try to keep up with what stuck, try new strategies for what didn't, and build on last month's momentum. Eins! Continue with last month's successes. Be mindful of my eating patterns by sticking with Paleo and/or tracking on My Fitness Pal. Keep going to the gym 3-4x/week. Write a new letter to my month-from-now-future-self reminding myself why I'm doing this and read it everyday. Zwei! Incorporate activity into my daily life. This was a goal last month and outside of going to the gym more often and more consistently, I really didn't do a great job with this. I especially didn't manage the spirit of the goal- I want general activity to be second nature. I don't want to think twice about a daily evening jog or a fifteen minute yoga routine when I wake up. I don't really have a strategy to accomplish this yet and I'm taking suggestions. Drei! Find and curate happiness. Last month I was very apprehensive about having so much on my plate- very involved new job, German classes, sewing classes, all these goals, vacation- I don't have a great track record of maintaining parts of my life without letting other parts of it go to hell. But I planned and I had backup plans at the ready for when I failed to plan and I tried to stay focused on just what I need to do each day without losing sight of the bigger picture and ultimately I found that a lot of joy in the things I was doing. Though it took energy, I felt energized by the satisfaction of learning something new/ being social/ whatever. But to continue this I need to put in more energy than just showing up. So I'd like to complete at least one sewing project outside of class this month, read the book for book club *ready Player One by Ernest Cline), and devote an extra hour of German study each week. Nebenprojekt! Sleep. A late add to last month's goals that still needs work. But ironically it's getting late so I'll have to elaborate later. I kind of tie this in with the fitness goal, though. I think that will be all. I easily get excited and want to do all the things, but it doesn't work out well so they will have to wait for future months.