With the arrival of August tomorrow comes new mid-year resolutions. I'm not normally one for making resolutions, but for some reason 2014 has proven to be successful:

In November 2013, I vowed to run a few times a week
On January 1st I vowed to give up soda
On June 1st I vowed to write a sentence a day

As of now, I've run two half marathons, have only drank one soda (an accidental ginger ale in a very sleepy state), and my daily journal boasts two months of happy moments. Up until this year I've always struggled with keeping resolutions, but the key to success this year? As cheesy as it sounds: forgiveness.

When I started running I put myself on a strict training regiment, but allowed myself to switch around running & rest days if I felt like it. I originally planned to allow myself one slip-up soda a week and forgave my accidental ginger ale on January 4th. Sometimes my journal goes a few days blank, so on calmer days I'll write a few extra days' worth of sentences.

Now as August is quick approaching, I'm shooting for another resolution with a healthy dose of forgiveness. From now on every day I will:

Create - Make, draw, build, sketch, paint, cook, etc.
Learn - Read, watch, talk, etc.
Reflect - Write, sit, photograph, etc.

The forgiveness comes in how I'll define these goals. Ideally, I would like to create a graphic a day, learn through tutorials, and reflect via a full journal entry each night... (But knowing myself, there will be days where I create a grocery list, learn via Netflix, and reflect by taking a picture of a sunset.)

To kick off my resolution, today I made this design, learned how to make a pattern in Illustrator, and had a lovely walk along the Seattle waterfront.

Thoughts

Create, Learn, Reflect