February, I hardly knew you...

It's safe to say that I've been overwhelmed by the new job... and at this point I can't quite pinpoint why. I'm certainly not alone - the other teachers who started at the school at the same time as me feel similarly rushed off their feet, whether this is their first year teaching or whether they have been teaching for over five years. If I'm being honest, I'm a little disappointed. I thought that this was going to be the right place for me and I'm increasingly feeling like a round peg in a square hole. I know that there are lessons I'm meant to be learning here (there always are, wherever you find yourself), but they aren't apparent yet.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Despite the turmoil I've managed to maintain my weight at the lowest it has been in five years. I'm only 7 kg away from my first goal weight at which point I will have lost 25kg (that's like a five-year-old, right?). We've managed to go on a couple of spectacular all-day dates, one to the Devonport Wine & Food Festival and one to Hamilton for fabulous Mexican food and a walk around the Gardens. I turn 27 tomorrow and I'm still alive. Despite her treatment setbacks, so is Mama Scribs. We're getting married in just over 90 days and we're looking for a new rental closer to where we would like to settle down.

I guess it all comes back to that Balance word. I feel like I'm nowhere near where I want to be at the moment but at least I feel like I'm making progress. It's like that shampoo ad that shall remain nameless... it won't happen overnight, but it will happen!

2012 - the plans

I like to choose a word for each year, a word that will inspire my actions. I almost went with "preparation" because I feel a lot of things we have planned for this year will help prepare us with the future. In saying that, preparation is going to be constantly on my mind and I don't think I'll need a reminder. I like the idea of the word being a reminder of something I don't manage well by myself! My 2012 word is...

I need more balance in my life. In 2011, I tried to "balance" my life by just throwing myself into everything... uh, yeah, not balance. Balance in 2012 means being selective about I do, throwing my FOMO (fear of missing out) out the window, doing what benefits me and my family and being content and grateful for what I do have.

It's an attitude change and one that I think needs to happen for my personal sanity. I know that certain months will be consumed more by certain aspects of life than others (May = Wedding, October = Teaching) and so I'm doing my intentions in a slightly different way. I have some things that I would like to achieve by the end of the year but the breakdown of my goals will be monthly. Each month I will post seven or so things I would like to achieve in order to help me maintain that balance. Let's see how that goes!

Tomorrow I will post January's intentions - I know we're a week in but I have been working on them already, just haven't had time to post (and you'll understand why when you see one of those intentions!) See you tomorrow with the deets!

What's your word for the year?