Intentions for a New Year

Travel to more places that I have never been. Last year I went to San Francisco and Philadelphia for the first time. This year I have personal trips to Nashville and Antigua, Guatemala in the works, along with potential work trips to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Seattle. International travel has always been my favorite but I am beginning to see that visiting new cities and places in the United States can be a great experience too. Hoping to do a lot more of that this year!

Take more risks. In 2013 we took one big risk, moving to a new apartment in our dream neighborhood that made our bank accounts take a hit and wondering everyday if it was worth it. I also took some risks professionally that were stressful at the time and made me question if I was making the right decisions. But as with most risks that you think about carefully and decide to go ahead with, it was definitely worth it. In 2014 I hope to do more of this "careful" risk taking and keep moving forward with things that might seem a little scary but will ultimately be so worth doing.

Get back on the saving track. Sean and I have a fairly good rainy-day fund built up but moving this past year really made our savings take a hit. We have tried to maintain a small goal of $200 dollars each month going to savings (this is beyond what we each contribute to retirement accounts through work) but even that hasn't been happening recently. When it comes to saving money, I do believe even a small amount is better than nothing, and we can easily spend that $200 on two dinners out. So this is a pretty practical intention, to remind myself what needs to be done and keep working at it.

Unplug and explore activities that don't involve a screen. I fall into the trap like everyone else of keeping my phone glued to my side. I start my day at my computer, stare at my phone often on my commute, spend most of my work day in front of a computer, and come home to often watch a few episodes of a tv show. I have been intrigued by the idea of taking one day each week to unplug completely but am not quite there yet. I would like to take more dedicated time away from a screen to read/explore the neighborhood/sleep/try new recipes. You get the idea and it is obviously easier said than done but ultimately I think it would be good for my eyes and brain to take that break on a regular basis.