I find myself suddenly well into the second half of 2019 and needing to take stock. Make plans. Assess and pivot.
The first half of 2019 was ROUGH.
We went through the loss of my mother and Sarah's good friend Brianna, the stress of Becca completing her PTA program, another skin cancer surgery for Rachel. We closed our booth at the antique store. I said a very reluctant goodbye to my boss of 13 years. I personally struggled with plantar fasciitis and now IT band syndrome. I spent a lot of time feeling depressed. And despite efforts at diet and exercise, as of July 1, I was UP 4 pounds from the start of the year.
On the plus side, I passed my CMLX1 certification and my Advanced Conga Certification exam. I treated myself to a metalsmithing class and a mixed media class with Seth Apter at Creative Inkling. I continued with the TRX class I started last December. In March I progressed from planking off a bench to completing a 30 second plank from the floor. In April I planked for a full minute! I'm definitely getting stronger! We had a fantastic family vacation at Disney/Universal. We attended my nephew Bobby's wedding and caught up with my brother Jerry who I hadn't seen in several years.
Jay & I at the wedding venue - a horse farm!
We decluttered 311 items from our home (I have a LONG way to go to get to the 2019 items goal I set for the year!) How do you count paper? I just pulled 20 file folders worth of paper out of our filing cabinet. 10 pounds of paper. If I counted each sheet individually, I'd be a lot closer to goal, but that seems like cheating...
We finally checked getting kitchen back splash installed off our "to do" list - 12 years after the kitchen remodel!
I've already completed 25 out of the 26 books I committed to for the Reading Challenge this year. Audible has certainly made a huge difference in my ability to consume fiction! It is a great companion for all the drives down to Rockville Maryland.
But by far the most exciting and happy thing that has happened in the first half of 2019 - a mere three days after graduating from her PTA program and less than 10 minutes after entering Magic Kingdom was this:
Becca and Kyle got engaged in front of Cinderella's castle! It was so much fun to be a part of it all and to see the surprise on Becca's face. She had NO idea it was happening there. And yes, we are now knee deep in wedding planning.
So as I'm taking stock, what do I want the second half of 2019 to look like? What do I still hope to accomplish? I pray that it will hold a lot more happy and a lot less sadness than the first six months.
I'm stealing a page from
Lee Currie and declaring my goals for the second half of 2019. Maybe declaring them will help me be more accountable???
Professional Goals:
Get My CMLX2 Certification. Attend CMLX2 classes in July, pass the exams, and write my white paper by August 31st so I can earn my CMLX2 certification. I don't expect the classes or exams to be all that tough. But the white paper???? Yikes!
Get In House Counsel Certification. I'm registered for a week long class in early November sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel. If I pass the exam at the end I'll be a "certified" In House Counsel. I don't need the certification but I'm hoping to learn a lot!
Finish the Bright Guide. Ever have one of those projects that you just keep putting off? Yes, this one. AKA the Employee Handbook. It's boring and tedious but I want it finished!!!
Personal Goals:
Touch My Toes. It isn't a sexy goal, but it has a lot to do with my physical well being. Getting enough flexibility to reach my toes will mean I've managed (after years and years) to loosen up hamstrings and hip flexors to a point of being able to regain function I've lost. It also appears to be key to helping resolve my current IT Band Syndrome.
Resolve IT Band Syndrome. The primary symptom is my inability to kneel or put any weight on my left knee. Do you have any idea how many daily activities require you to kneel or squat??? Not to mention yoga... I want that functionality back!
Lose Some Weight. If I haven't figured out how to move the scale by the end of Summer, I'll make an appointment to discuss weight loss with my doctor. She's quick to offer pills (which I don't want) so I'm going to try a couple different diet/nutrition options and see if one of them can help. I want to be healthy. Looking good would be a nice side benefit. Getting the weight off would definitely help with all the problems I've been experiencing with my knees, ankles, and feet!
Make Some Art. My creative time has been sorely lacking and I'd love to spend more time getting messy. I don't have any specific project in mind, so let's just say digging into some of my Lifebook 2019 lessons that have (so far) gone untouched this year. I'd like to complete at least one lesson per month - so 6 by the end of the year.
Solidify My Morning Routine. I've been working on this for awhile now. I want to incorporate stretching, meditation, Lumosity (online brain games), and a little reading and journaling into my morning before I start my work day. I haven't come up with the right flow yet to make it work well enough to turn it into a habit. Continue working and tweaking until I have a flow that works!
Project Goals:
Repaint the Main Floor. Right now more of the house needs painting than not. But the mustard yellow walls and the red accent wall in the sun room MUST GO. I'm so over mustard yellow. I'm wanting a nice neutral grey throughout the downstairs with a dark grey accent wall in the sun room and a blue grey accent color on the fireplace wall in the family room. We need to get this project started soon because we will want to do it when we can keep windows open.
Fill Out Life Organizer: The Life Organizer is a 3 ring binder I purchased that gives you one place to store copies of all the important stuff - birth and marriage certificates, deeds, mortgage info, banking info, 401K info, life insurance, etc. with notations as to where the originals are stored.... So that in the event something happens to you, your loved ones don't have to dig through file drawers and boxes to take care of business. Jay's been asking for quite awhile for me to compile all this info. I have the tool. I just need to start filling it in.
Continue Decluttering: While Jay is on board we have so many more areas where STUFF is stored that just needs to leave. So I'm still going for that goal of removing 2019 items from my home by the end of 2019. Yes, it is seriously ambitious. But I have little doubt that there is that much that could leave if we got ruthless about it.
Thank you Lee for inspiring this list! I feel so much more ready to dive into the second half of this year and I have renewed hope and enthusiasm around reaching my goals.
How do you plan to finish out 2019?
