Reflecting on SoCal

Instead of doing a year long resolution, my travel life is set up perfect to make small resolutions. These are wonderful because it is so much easier to stick to something for 3-4 months and then analyze your success and failures and make the appropriate changes. I try to make resolutions that will help me physically, mentally and spiritually improve in the time hat I am in a location. Today, I am sharing my list from this past 4 months and reflecting on it.

RESOLUTIONS FOR SoCAL

1. Exercise 3-4xs/week-- YES! This contract I learned so much about my body and exercise. I am still SO intimidated by the gym but I decided to splurge on a personal trainer and have not regretted it for one second. (Seriously if you live in Temecula, I would move back just for this trainer!). So lets talk about my physical health this contract. Before this contract I could not run 3 minutes without getting out of breath, and now (just this morning) I jogged for 30 minutes straight with no difficulties! I am also feeling more comfortable with lifting free weights and using some machines. I am understanding how to appropriately push my body and I have made a lot of gains with losing fat and gaining muscle... I haven't found a personal trainer for Corpus Christi so I am going to try to do it solo in the gym for now. BUT I know how beneficial a personal trainer can be and highly recommend doing that and will probably need to do it again in the future.

So this contract, with the combination of keto and exercising, I hit my original goal weight! I have now lost a total of 45 pounds since starting traveling 2 years ago! It has been hard work, but honestly I feel so much better. It makes such a difference to be healthy, active and confident!

2. Complete Dave Ramsey-- YES! This contract I went to Dave Ramsey (refresher course) and I am currently doing a budget every month-- which I hadn't been. Whoops! I finally feel in control of my finances and actually get to see where everything is going. I have set a goal for paying off my loans and I also paid off my credit card this contract. It had gotten out of hand without me even realizing it! After the cost of moving to California there was 4,000 on that card!

3. Pay extra 1,000 on student loans (at least!) every month-- Well kind of. Some months I paid a lot more and some I paid a little less but I did average more than an extra 1,000 a month on loans. Next contract I am going to increase this to 3,000 since I now have the CC paid off!!

4. Read entire Harry Potter Series- Well duh. And they were wonderful!

5. Complete a bible study!- YES. This is the area that I have seen the most progress and growth these past 4 months. I attribute it to the wonderful church I found, a wonderful Christian mentor from church, doing a personal bible study EVERY MORNING and going to two different encouraging bible studies, but of course it is all because of God!! He has led me spiritually to where before I think I was scared to go. It's like when you sit in your first graduate school class and you're ready. You passed undergrad with a high GPA, you got into grad school when a lot of people didn't. You just need to learn a little bit more and you'll be good to go. And the first day the professor starts talking and you realize how much you don't know. It is scary, you realize that you have a grain of salt knowledge and there is a pile of salt out there that you need to consume in the shortest amount of time. I have had those moments of discouragement where I have realized what I knew and thought I understand barely scratches the surface. There is so much to learn and explore and I am excited and on fire to do so!