Starting 2014

I realized on my last post I talked all about wanting to travel and such, but didn't divulge into any other resolutions (or goals, as I say). A friend had asked me what my resolution for the year was, and while travel is an obvious answer, I spent a lot of my drive to work thinking about what sort of goal I could set for myself for 2014. The girls I work with are having an office "Biggest Loser" competition which will have weekly weigh-ins and will conclude in March when the "winner" is revealed. Like most people, I am constantly wanting to drop ten pounds, eat healthier, exercise more regularly, ect, ect. I am in support of the gals I work with. I think having this "contest" is a good way for everyone to be accountable while at the same time having support from friends. It is always easier to do something with other people. I have chosen not to participate. The reason is that I don't want to launch myself into another diet where I feel disappointed, guilty, or unsatisfied. Rather than focus on losing pounds, I would rather focus my energy into consistently eating healthier and making sure I am eating a healthy, balanced diet of proper proportions. Which lead me to think...

This year, in 2014, my resolution is to be kind to myself. 

Growing up my parents always told me I could be whatever I want. What I heard was I had to be everything. Let me interject here and say this is not my parents' fault in any way, shape, or form. The misinterpretation of the message is my fault, my problem. I am incredibly hard on myself. I am my own worst critic (like most), and sometimes I can be very mean to myself. I can be hard on myself about everything - from how my clothes look, to my body shape, to my cooking, my work skills, my interactions with others... If I am not doing everything and being everything to everyone at all times, I am failing. There is no one specific topic which I judge myself on and no topic which is safe. I realize most of the negative feelings I have about myself are all due to me an my skewed perception of myself. I don't know where this level of criticism has come from (believe me, I have done plenty of investigation to try to figure out where it came from or why it is there). I don't have an answer. I just know it has always been a part of me. I have always been this way. I realize I'm not going to change this in one year.
But.
I can work to be kind to myself. To attempt to stop the constant personal criticism. To be kind... to try to give myself a break, cut myself some slack. To read books. To eat good food - both nutritious food and delicious treats. To sleep. To relax. To live in the moment and enjoy. To find joy in each day. See new things. Learn. Seek. But above all, be kind. To nourish my mind, body, and soul. To treat me the way I deserve to be treated - most importantly by myself.

Completely shifting gears, our year of travel has already begun. I am pleased to announce our first destination of 2014 will be Disneyland Paris. I am excited. Hello, my name is Kirsten, I'm 28 years old, and I have never been to any sort of Disney park. However, don't feel sorry for me - while my family didn't ever take a trip to Disneyland or World, we did go to Hawaii and Alaska multiple times... so I wasn't really missing out. What I find funny is Josh was stationed in Florida for two years, yet never went to Disney World. So, here we are, two adults in Europe, about to have our first Disney experience. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. We are only going for a weekend trip, so we will have one full day at the park and possibly a half day depending on how we feel... But. Thus far I am making headway on both of my goals for the year.