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Wordless Wednesday

Simple, Healthy Living

I feel like I'm currently in the middle of a transformation phase in life. I've realized the importance of stepping back when looking at different situations. I've also realized that I want to change a lot of things in my life. My priorities, my habits, what I put into our bodies, and the way we live. I've attempted this before, on a smaller scale, but I didn't have the same outlook as I do now. I did things half-assed, for lack of better words. I felt really disappointed in myself for not keeping up with my personal goals, or for putting some of my most important priorities on the back burner. I let myself procrastinate, and ignore the opportunities to allow anything different into my life altogether. I didn't have the motivation or want to really change because change itself can be a scary thing. For someone like myself who constantly craves something different, but doesn't know exactly how to go about getting it, life can get a bit confusing. I wasn't entirely sure when I should take plunges or when I should wait something out.
This is where my goals, my inspirations, for the year come in. I have so many of them planned, and a few I've already talked about on here before. Some of them I will have to build up too, and others I'll start immediately. The month of January has been my "get ready" month. We were displaced, I was figuring some things out about myself, and we were a bit stuck in limbo. Finally we moved into our new (for now) home. Our life was pretty hectic and chaotic during the months of December and January. It's taken quite some time for us to finally settle. Now that we're in a good place, and everything is in order I feel like I can finally get started on allowing positive change into my life.
For starters I want to live more simply. With this move, I've been able to purge a lot of our things. Our house isn't tiny, but it's not what we were in before. So, we've had to leave a few things behind. We haven't had the best weather here recently, but hopefully this upcoming Saturday I'll be able to go back to our old house and pack up the rest of what we want to keep. This will include clothes, shoes, & Emery's toys. If it doesn't fit or if it hasn't been missed it will go into the donation bags or into the trash. I've also taken some inspiration from Sash over at Inked in Colour. She's doing a whole year of "nothing new"! Now, while I admire her will power I'm not quite there yet. Still, I think that I need to start looking at things on a need basis rather than a want. So this year, I'd like to take more trips to the flea market & garage sales. I want to buy more second hand when I can, and that includes visiting the local thrift shops more often.
I've also stated that I want to take longer breaks from technology. I'm surrounded by it at work, and I go home to it every night. But because of it, I was missing moments. I wasn't as focused, and I really want to change that. I want to be more involved with my daughter, my family, and my community. For me that means putting the phone down, closing the laptop, and leaving the tablet alone. The weather hasn't really permitted it, but I want us to be outdoors more. I want to hike some local trails and visit more parks. 
And this leads me into our lifestyle changes. I want to be more active, and eat healthier. I was doing such a great job before the holiday's and then we had to move in with my parents (sodas, chips, and cookies everywhere!). So I've had a huge setback. But I want to change that, from now going forward for the rest of the year. I'm looking into getting a gym membership again, because I truly miss getting in those work outs. I've had a drastic change in energy levels and I'm not liking it. I spent a lot of the month of January cutting back on sweets, and adding more vegetables. Now that we're on our own, I have better control over what we keep in the house. It helps a lot when you're trying to stay away from temptation. 
So that's the plan! I'm trying my hardest to get rid of excuses and just get it done. I've had enough down time for the year. It's time to start getting rid of some things and changing others. And it's just time. If I want more good in my life, I need to put more good out there. So here's to the "official" beginning of this new year for us!