Off the hook

I think I may be my hardest critic. If you asked me what I got done in a day, I may list all the things that didn't get done or discount what did get done. I go in spurts trying to accomplish all that needs to be done, but at the end of the day there is always more that needs to be done. Somehow I get discouraged and then I don't get anything done. I cycle through this over and over.

I make ridiculously long to do list and I'm surprised when they don't finished. I set the bar high and then when I don't come close to clearing it, I come crashing to the ground. If I want to find my worst enemy, I just need to look in the mirror. I just can't seem to let myself "off the hook".

This year I made lots of goals, measurable goals and then started a blog to track my progress. I did the math on several of the realized about every two weeks I would need to be progressing to the next item to finish by the end of the year. I started to stress when I realized it is the last day in January and there are some things I haven't begun yet. I started to realize I am not going to get everything done on my list. I am not just going to give up now. It is only the first month of the year.

So then, I took a breath and realized I never let myself off the hook. I haven't look at what I have accomplished this year and been proud of it. It is time for a change in my point of view. If my goals do not all get accomplished by December 31, 2012, then I will just keep going until I do finish.

This year I started the goals. I am proud of that. I may not finish in 366 days, but I will finish.

You can follow my blog Out of Focus for now...

Here's what I have accomplished this year.

Clean (and I mean deep clean, purge & organize) 30 different areas of my home (as small as a draw & as big as a room)

• Day 1: Cleaning ~ My Pantry
• Day 2: Cleaning ~ My Hutch

Crock pot cook for 30 days (this I would like to do 30 days in a row)

• Day 1: Crock Pot ~ Creamy Chicken over Pasta
• Day 2: Crock Pot ~ Italian Roast
• Day 3: Crock Pot ~ Meatloaf
• Day 4: Crock Pot ~ Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Day 5: Crock Pot ~ Chili
• Day 6: Crock Pot ~ "Stir Fry"
• Day 7: Crock Pot ~ Butternut Squash Soup

Cook 30 new & different recipes

• Day 1: New Recipe Crock Pot ~ Creamy Chicken over Pasta
• Day 2: New Recipe Crock Pot ~ Butternut Squash Soup

Try 30 new spices in my cooking (some may be in my cabinet that I've never used...toss the ones we don't like)

• Day 1: Crock Pot ~ Chili Link to purchase spice: Tastefully Simple Wahoo Chili Spice (only available till 03.12.2012)

Read 30 new books (obviously this will take more than 30 days)

• Book 1: Reading ~ Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Book 2: Reading ~ Catching Fire