hello 2014!

happy new year everyone! i hope everyone had a happy and safe new years eve and are well into enjoying 2014. i was feeling a bit anxious just before the new year about time and mortality and how quickly years seem to pass. it made me think about how i currently spend my time and how i could spend it better. there are things i've tried to omit or limit in my life in order to free up more time. for example, we do not have television or cable in our apartment. i do watch some shows but i watch them online, without commercials and on my own time. that way there's no getting sucked into the mindless garbage programming on tv these days. despite my efforts, i still find myself not as productive as i would like to be. i will admit i can be lazy but that is something i want to leave behind in 2013.

that's why i want 2014 to be the year of MORE. do more, see more, live more, be more. gearing up into my 30s i want to be as productive as i can and i'm doing it for myself. i heard somewhere that your 20s are for you and your 30s are for everyone else. i'm not sure if i agree with it entirely, but i do feel like i need to make serious moves towards my life goals and the next few years are the most crucial for that. i took a year to get situated in my day job and now that i have that under control it is time to tackle the next set of challenges!

so here are a few of the highlights that will make up my year of more:

• go on more adventures. go hiking, biking, and exploring. geocaching has always seemed like so much fun to me but i've never tried it. i mean, who doesn't love hunting for hidden treasure? i hope to incorporate geocaching into my other hiking and exploring and being more active in general.
• write more. i love writing and really need to focus on this in the new year. i want to blog at least twice a week. writing lyrics and poems needs to continue to be in the spotlight.
• more music. the project i'm working on right now has been a long time coming. it needs to be released this year. i miss having band practice and i'm looking forward to it. for inspiration, i also want to listen to more music this year. i recently noticed that the majority of my music is from years ago. i have a few new albums here and there but it's a little embarrassing because i consider myself a music lover and avid listener. each week i want to listen to at least two albums that are new to me. maybe that will turn into a new feature of the blog! lastly, i need to go to more live music shows. i want to go to at least three this year. party on!
• read more. i'd like to read at least ten books this year.
• meditate more. in 2014 i'd like to begin daily meditation. i've meditated a few times but never made it a habit. i think it will be a good one to adopt this year as i continue to grow and learn about myself and the world around me.
• cook more. i cook meals here and there but by no means every day. this past year our household has made steps by relying less on fast food and carry out and cooking more but i still think there's room for improvement. i want to create weekly meal plans to help make grocery shopping, cooking, and financial planning more efficient.
• more business focus. in 2014 i'd love to see continued growth for my boyfriend's company creative king. i want to be part of that growth and want to contribute more of my skills and time to his endeavor because it is something i truly believe in. in addition, i'd love to start my own business making crystal healing infused jewelry.
• take more photos. take at least one photo a day.
• buy more for self. for some reason when it comes to buying things for myself i hate spending money. this is a bad habit because i end up wearing the same clothes all the time or depriving myself of the enjoyment of something nice and new. when i do finally get something new for myself the retail therapy excitement lifts my spirits and i feel great. this year i will put myself first every once in a while and splurge a little bit. i want to buy myself something once a month.

i'm sure there's more that i could add but i think focusing on these will keep me busy for a while! if you had to pick a theme word for 2014, what would it be?

the best of luck to everyone in this new year! i hope you and yours have a year full of love and happiness as this rock keeps orbiting around the sun.