Goal Setting- New Years Resolutions

After my recent success with the "mile a day" goal, I've been on a goal-setting high. Elise gives some great tips for setting goals (my goal in life is to be more like her...) and I've embraced some of her tips for my new years resolution goals.

Side note: I never follow my resolutions. Ever. I can't even make it through a week without breaking one of them, and I think it's because my goals are always extremely ambitious. They are things that I'd like to do (like work out every day), but that are slightly unreachable without any structure and plan, so when I fall off track one day I give up instead of getting back on the horse.

This year I've decided to go less grandeous with my goals and take a while to real focus on what I what to achieve the next year. The past year has been centered on redefining my likes and hobbies and refocusing on who I want to be. It's been a long and torturous journey (Jack can tell you all about my late-night sobbing fests where I whine about not knowing who I am or what I like.. they're so much fun) but (for the moment) I am completely happy and content with where I am right now. However, there are many many things I want to learn, improve, and grow in, so that is how I'm going to utilize this year's goals.

As I mentioned, and thank's to Elise's great advice, sometimes you need to check in with your progress and  refocus your goals to make sure they're still attainable and still what you want to be doing. While I'll be using these goals and a framework for what I want to learn and do, this is a very flexible list of things I hope to achieve by the end of the 2013 year.

So, with that said, here are my goals for the next year:
- run 365 miles (stolen from Elise :)
- be able to touch my toes
- complete 12 photography projects (one each month)

• The Individual- a complete portrait shoot that fully captures their internal and external beauty
• Lower Height Photo Walk/ Case Study- documenting the North Beach neighborhood
• A Study of Light- exploring different techniques using natural and man-made lighting
• Hockney Inspired- celebrating of one of my favorite photographers by creating a photographic collage
• Color Challenge- finding and focusing one color in multiple locations
• Night Life- the city after dark
• Macro Focus- a study of every day life at the macro level
• Epitomizing Myself- exploring self portraits and trying to capture the essence of me
• San Francisco Architecture- celebrating the city's most celebrated and overlooked buildings
• Food for Thought- practicing commercial food photography in a new way

- complete 12 crafting projects (one each month)

• quilt
• sew a scarf

- read 12 books (including 6 nonfiction books...)

• Extremely Loud and Incredible Close
• ROOM