I Set a Goal to Read 100 Books in 2015 & I Have No Idea Why

A book a week is hard, but sane. Two books a week is self-sabotage, obviously. 

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. When I was younger, I used to worry about how the small choices I made throughout the day could impact my life later; as a child, this meant I would sometimes wonder if a choice I made, like between ice cream or a cookie for a snack, could impact me later on. Like if I chose the ice cream, I'd be okay; but if I chose the cookie, it would start a sequence of events that could hurt me. I don't know why I thought this way, but I did and it's an idea that's followed me forever. I've occasionally attributed big mistakes or big accidents to little decisions I made that really had nothing to do with anything at all, probably because of my childhood theory. 

What I'm trying to say is: I've made a lot of mistakes and sometimes, I blame them on weird things. 

Take, for example, my typing in "100" in the little box on Goodreads for my 2015 reading goal. I felt really ill on Friday; my legs hurt, my throat started to hurt, I was uncomfortable and cranky and feverish. I didn't feel good, so I ate a lot of chocolate and ice cream. Clearly, this junk food binge lead me down a path towards a moment of temporary insanity because as I was selecting books I wanted to read on Goodreads, it really did seem like a good idea to pledge myself to reading 100 books in the coming year. 

Ha! I'm a fool. 100 books? Madness. 

Saturday morning, having woken up with an even worse sore throat and a fever, I set myself to quietly drinking coffee and making a list of 100 books to read in 2015. The fever had obviously lengthened my brief moment of insanity. However, as I wrote out a list of 100 books, it started to dawn on me that... 100 is a lot. It's 2 and 1/4 pages typed in a list. It's 100 books, Michelle, what were you thinking??? 

The deed is done though and once I announce something (and by hitting "save" on Goodreads, I announced it plenty), I don't back down. It's about honor now. Principle. Dignity. 

So I started to fool myself into it, as I continued writing my list of books: "100 books isn't that many, really. I mean, two a week! You can read two books a week! You've read way more than two books a week before." This is true; I can easily read two books a week if I already own those books. But buying two books a week and reading them and having time for, um, everything else??? That's a lot to ask of myself. 

It's been done though. I have a list of 100 books. In 2015, I'm going to read 100 books. To follow my progress (or, um, lack thereof), you can add me on Goodreads. 

My New Year's Resolutions

I do best with accountability & patterns. 

I have never once kept a New Year's Resolution. But then again, I've never really made them. Every year, I half-hearted set goals that I then toss aside when real life kicks in; in that lofty space between Christmas and January, life feels as full of possibilities as I feel of cookies. I indulge and I want to change, but then once the time-travel feel of the last week of December wears off, I forget about that and go back to what I always do. 

Not this year. I say that with conviction and, despite my doubts, I intend for 2015 to be the year where I toss out my bad habits and replace them with at least decent ones. Here are my resolutions:

• Complete the Beach Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. You can check Kayla out here or on Instagram. I've been hearing about Kayla for a few months, but didn't put a lot of stock in her guide. However, after following her on Instagram and seeing some of the insane before & after photos (posted by real people on real Instagram accounts!!), I have to admit I wanted it for myself. My goal, instead of having a goal to work out or lose weight or whatever, is to finish the first 12 weeks of Kayla's BBG.
   
• Eat healthier, smaller meals. I have an unfortunate habit of not eating throughout the day (when you sit in front of a computer for 8 hours straight, it's difficult to actually feel hungry) and then going crazy in the evenings. I eat healthier than I used to, but my portion sizes are still a little messed up. I want to focus on eating more protein, less empty carbs, and drinking more water! 
   
• Start, and finish, a project. I have half-finished scrapbooks all over the place. Half-started stories everywhere. Blog ideas scribbled down on post-it notes and hastily shoved into a drawer under my desk. It's time to finish a project, self, at least one. C'mon. 
   
• Read at least one book a week. And not just fiction! As I read the Romanov Sisters, I am reminded of how much I love history books. I read a lot and I want to continue that trend this year. 
   
• Make date nights a thing. Danny and I both have very short attention spans. Sometimes, we will dedicate a Friday night to watching a movie -- but I'll often end up reading during it or just going upstairs to write. I want to dedicate at least one day a week to doing an activity with Danny -- whether that is cooking dinner, baking something, going to a movie, or working out.