Finish

I’m really great at starting things.  Running.  Knitting.  Schedules.  Projects.

You name it.

I’m horrible at finishing.

Really.

(Though I did just hack my way through knitting a hat, more on that soon.)

Yes, I finished college.  I’ve held jobs and completed craft projects.  I’ve been married for 12 years and dated him for five more.

But ask anyone who knows me well and they’ll tell you that I start many great things and many succeed for a while and then…stop.

I’ve had great, even valid, excuses.  We move a lot.  I have three small children.  Jeff works crazy hours.

All are true.

And yet they are just that.  Excuses.

Sure, some things I try and just don’t enjoy.  That’s okay.  But more often than not I give in to the excuses and the poor time management and…

quit.

Ali Edwards’ One Little Word has inspired me for several years.  I’ve even had my own words.  I’ve started the last few years with great words and then after a few months they’ve slipped my mind.

But this year, I feel like it’s different.

All three kiddos are in school.  I have a little time to breathe.

And,

I’m at the point where I feel ready to really pursue some of my own things.

Jon Acuff’s post put the nail in the coffin. (Though, I’m not following along with his plan necessarily. I was just inspiring to me.)

Finish.

I’ve started a lot, now it’s time to finish and finish strong.

Yet, one thing I’ve learned is that the goals must be realistic.

Yes, reading 52 books in 52 weeks sounds great.  But that just isn’t realistic in my life.  Instead, I’ll read as much as I can throughout the year.

I love the 365 project.  Playing along over at Habit (via the Flickr Group) in November was a delight and as I look though the year in photos when I took one a day, I so appreciate those images throughout the year.  My hope is to take a picture a day in 2011 but if I don’t it’s not the end of the world.

So, for now, I’m really thinking about those things that I want to start.  And finish.

No more messing around.

With that said, there are a few things I’ve committed to already. More will come soon.

On January 5th we will start 10 Days of Real Food. (More on that in the next couple of days.)

I’ve also registered for the Whole Food Kitchen (as have my sister and several friends) which starts in February.

And, I’ll be starting Natural Wellness in the next week or two which is my first graded class since 1998.

Yes, I’m seeing a huge focus on wellness in 2012 and it feels good.

So, what do plan to finish this year?