Happy New Year // Kicking Off 2016

Happy 2016 everyone!!! I don't always get so excited for the start of a new year, because my approach to goal setting generally does not dictate a start time of "firsts". I don't wait until January 1st. I don't wait until the first of any month. And I definitely don't wait until monday. If I want to do something, I mean really do something, then I just do it. If I don't want to, then it's not going to happen no matter when the clock starts ticking.

However this year, a lot of the plans I was making for upcoming projects happened to be in December and during the #reverb15 season which Sarah and I spearheaded together. And since #reverb15 is a prompt every day, that didn't leave any room for starting the day an idea was born until the first available day, which is today, January 1st. Even though it's not my normal way, it feels satisfyingly comfortable. Traditional. I'm OK with that.

So this year, I'm committing to a lot more writing. A lot more reading. A lot more of a lot of things, many of which are ambiguously listed here in yesterday's final reverb post. Are you ready to hold me accountable?? Here's my plan!

Weekly Writing:

Mindset Mondays to kick off each week and get us thinking about everything from how we think and how we feel, to how we react and how we influence. This can be anything from a simple act of kindness to a huge shift in focus. Follow along and take these challenges with me!

Midweek Snack Break. I'm only calling it that because snack is one of my favorite words ever. It describes so much more than just food. But, my mid-week posts are actually going to be about food in some way, shape, or form. G and I are taking on our own challenge to try new recipes- at least one per week- from our favorite cook books, and I will be writing about our experience, how we liked the finished product, how we modified it to make it work for us, and if we would make it again. I need to come up with a cute rating system! In addition, on weeks when we might repeat recipes, I have lots of other foodie things to discuss, like my favorite cookbooks and cooking blogs, how I organize myself for meal planning, how I convert recipes to feed us for more than 1 or 2 days (we love the convenience left overs) and increase the protein and vegetable content to suit our dietary needs, and my favorite kitchen gadgets!

Reality Check Fridays. This will also be a combination of different topics under the same theme - what is going on in life that is real. Really weird. Really new. Really imperfect. I want to discuss real mistakes, real growth, real struggles, how I really did with the implementation of the mindset challenge I put out that Monday. I'll participate in Sarah Bagley and Elizabeth Chapman's project called B+ Goals: Because Done is Better Than Perfect on this day at times as well.

Special Features:

#reverb16 Of course! Once a month, Sarah and I will continue to write on a single prompt from our very different perspectives and we have a bunch of fellow writers and friends who are joining in on the fun. If you want to participate with us, sign up here. There's no pressure to write every month, or to even post publicly what you write about. Signing up is just about receiving a prompt and using it as you wish.

KayShay Code. It will continue, hopefully at least once per month. I have so many more rules to write about and get on my personal manifesto. I hope these words of guidance that I write for myself resonate with you and inspire you to write your own rules.

A new project... coming in February. Sarah and I are going to do something a little more... verbal. It's scaring the hell out of me. And that's exactly why I've got to do it. Stay tuned.

#WorkingOnIt #RandomThoughts #Mindset