2014- Goals- Change starts now!

Inspired by GirlFriday's Day Zero Project I have decided to set myself a little set of goals for 2014. I've found my life to be just standing still for the vast majority of 2013, and I'm the type of person who really needs a kick up the arse from time to time to get the ball rolling again.

That said, I know what I'm like. If I write myself a huge long list of things that should be doable, but are out of my reach at the moment I'll get completely overwhelmed and give up on the entire notion. So the goals I'm setting myself, while they may seem frivolous to many, are pretty important to me and will really help change my life for the better.

This is not a Day Zero project, as these are all things I want to have done by the end of 2014. I'll be adding to this as the year goes on, and hopefully checking everything off by December 31st 2014.

So here it goes-

General-

• Keep my room tidier. Do regular little tidy around's rather than let a mess accumulate and having to spend an entire day cleaning.
• Have a clear out of clothes/make up every 3 months. Be ruthless
• Sit my driving test. I won't say pass, but at the very least I want to have tried it by the end of the year.
• Start my Beauty course.
• Start my own recipe book.
• Try to cut out meat.
• Take my niece on a day out somewhere nice by myself
• Go on a girly night out.
• Have a girly night in.
• Go on a mini break- Just get away somewhere for a break from all the stresses of home. Doesn't have to be far, and doesn't even have to be with someone, just a break and some peace and quiet.
• Get rid of the negative influences in my life, spend more time with, or at least talking to the people who make me happy..

Financial/ shopping-

• Stop splurging! This means stop buying pretty things just because they're pretty. Do I NEED it? Does it serve an actual purpose? No? Put it back.
• Try to put away at least €5 a week. If necessary, give it to my mam to hide away in a little piggy bank somewhere where I can't get my mitts on it.
• Make a huge dent in my Credit Union loan.
• When shopping make a list and stick to it.
• Put more money into my bedroom, make it a nice place to be.
• Try charity shops for new clothes/ stuff for my bedroom.

Health/weight loss- (This is the big one for me)

• Lose at least 2 and a half stone by May for a family wedding.
• Don't get lax after that, feel the benefits and keep going.
• Eat at least 2 pieces of fruit/veg a day. (I know it's not nearly enough, but I really dislike fruit!!)
• Drink at least 1.5lr of water a day.
• Rejoin the gym and aim to go at least 4 times a week, more is better.
• Go for a walk at least twice a week.
• Keep a food diary.
• Take a class, be it Zumba, belly dancing, aerobics etc, even if I have to take it alone.
• Quit smoking, or at the very least try limit it to when I am out socially.
• Try to only drink alcohol once a week.
• Give yoga a try.
• Try going gluten free for a week.
• Be able to walk/run a 5k for charity.

Personal/beauty-

• Set aside a window of time every week that will just be ME time, to do whatever the hell I want without interruption. 
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• Have at least one recipe that I can say I cook amazingly.
• Be more adventurous when it comes to meals.
• Tell the people I love how much I love more often.
• Wash my make up brushes more regularly.
• Really up my skin care regime.
• Go on a date.
• Be more patient with certain people.
• Get back into reading. Try to make the time for at least 1 book every 2 months.
• Stop dying my hair- let my natural colour grow back an have happy, healthy hair for the first time in years.
• Get my sleeping pattern back in proper order. 
• Stop being so negative/self deprecating.
• Plan a lovely surprise for someone for no reason.
• Cook a meal for someone.

Blog related-

By the end of the year have blogged AT LEAST 100 times. Which means that by the years end my post       count should be at a minimum of 185.

Do't be afraid to meet new people- try get to more Blogger meet ups.

Get 20,000 blog views by the end of the year.

Vary my posts more, introduce fashion, weight loss, maybe even track how I'm getting on in my course.

Read more blogs and be more interactive.

So there you have it, my hopes and dreams for 2014. This list was actually harder to compile than I'd thought it would be. It's so easy to say 'Oh, I'm gonna do this, that, and the other this year' but when I actually sat down and tried to lay out realistic goals,  found they kinda escaped me! I think that if I can achieve everything on this list, I can get back the structure, and all round contentedness that was sorely lacking n 2013.

So you've read mine, and now I'd love to read yours!! Please send me on your links. I know things like these can be quite personal, but support and encouragement, even from virtual strangers, can make all the difference! Best of luck everyone, 2014 is ours for the taking!!