I despise New Year’s Resolutions. Really, you can make a new resolution at any moment. I’m a huge fan of Mondays: resolve to start something new, or renew your discipline. Pick any Monday. Go for it.

However, with my Halloween birthday and then the holidays, I do a sort of two part annual “taking stock and planning what’s next” mental gymnastics. I know – me? Making plans and maps and LISTS?!! (Do you SEE my love of lists there?!) I like to set new goals.

Goals. Not resolutions.

Some would call that splitting hairs, but for me the distinction is important. A resolution feels like a square your shoulders and put your nose to the grindstone moment. A goal feels like continued growth from the foundation I’ve spent time constructing already.

We need resolve every single day. But goals should be an over-arching theme to make that resolve worthwhile, and measurable.

So, today, we took a family hike through the desert and collected seashells. (If you ever needed proof that this desert was underwater, collect seashells amidst volcanic rock.) On our way home, I asked everyone what their health goal for 2016 was.

Lara: “Not dying.”
You have to give her credit, that’s the goal that makes all others possible. 🙂

Maddie: “Racing!”
I had to clarify this one: in the pool? On land? She meant running road races with me. Something we deliberately did not do during 2015, due to the wedding.

Moses: “Not missing a single race.”
He also meant running road races with me, but every single road race that’s offered throughout the year.

Of course, being Mom to a teen and a tween means they no longer ask my goal. Lara is afraid to ask, because she’s certain she’ll be forced into some athletic feat that she will only be doing to humour me. 🙂

But, my health goal (other than the obvious: reach my 5th year of remission and be deemed “cancer free!”) is to finally do something I was training for before discovering I was sick.

In 2016, I am going to train for, and run, a marathon.

Specifically, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego.

So, stage 1 goal set.

Of course, I believe in a “whole” approach, and a crowd to keep me accountable, so further goals to be announced as this New Year week progresses.

Happy #Monday, and blessings to you all.