Well, in case you hadn't realized, I didn't finish my list last year.
There were eight things left unfinished. EIGHT. I don't think I'm going to go into much detail, because...well, I'm pretty discouraged about it. Break out the violins, people.
I do want to say though, that while I didn't finish eight (EIGHT!) of the things on my list, reading 32 books was something I did finish! And I'm proud, because the second to last book I tackled was an 800 page whopper. (And I really enjoyed it, by the way. The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan). Also, it should be noted that the last book I read was quite possibly my favorite of the year. Definitely top 5. That one is Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. Totally recommend that one.
Anyway, the last few discouraging days of the year, when it became painfully obvious that I was not going to finish all the things on my list, I did some serious thinking about this whole "35 things" business. I love that it's helped me really stick to New Year's Resolutions, and that I always, always have something to work on because of it. I love that it allows me to choose small, manageable tasks that will help shape me into the person I want to be.
Sure, there are some drawbacks to my method of making "resolutions," and it certainly isn't for everyone, but after a lot of thinking about it, I've decided that it still is for me, at least for now. I've got a new list for this year and am already excited about my new goals. I'm trying out a few more "general" resolutions as well, just to see how it goes. Maybe I'll talk about those at some point. But I still have my to-do list for the year and am planning on sticking to it.
That being said, I feel like my blog has become a little overrun by my 35 things, and I don't really want that. So I'm planning on starting another blog to track my 35 things progress. Maybe that will allow me to be a little more creative with what I post on this blog, you know? That's the theory, anyway. If you're wondering something along the lines of "Um, Katie, you don't keep up with this blog....so how are you going to keep up with TWO blogs?" well then, I would say to you...
...you have a very valid point. Let's just see how it goes, shall we?
Happy New Year!