I’ve been thinking for a very long time about what I want to do to mark this year. Last year, I did my first list for 29 and while I didn’t complete all of them, it was nice to have some non-business, non-writing personal goals to focus on. I’m going to change it up a bit this year by making it more specific on some things. I doubt I’ll have 30 things, but we’ll see as time goes.

Meditation:  I have to meditate for at least 30 solid minutes at least once a week no matter what. Preferably on a Sunday so I get a fresh start to each week. I must make time to clear my mind.

Yoga:  45-90 minutes at least twice a week. This will eventually be just 90 minutes twice a week while I build up my stamina again. This has been my go-to source of relaxation since I was 14 and I’ve really let myself go. No bueno.

Diet:  Try to only drink juices I’ve juiced myself. Same with smoothies–easiest way to pack in the raw veggies in my diet. More steamed food; less fried food.

Skin:  Get massages and facials, get waxed, do manicures and pedicures. Drink tons of water and lemon tea. I miss being ultra feminine here. I need that special “me” time.

Baking:  Bake at least 20 times this year. Cookies, cakes, tarts, bread, it all applies.

Going Raw:  One raw weekend a month. Over time, it’ll be one raw week.

Books:  Read at least one book a month. Get back into the steady habit.

Wall Decoration:  Get all the photos and art we want on the walls framed and hung.

Greenery:  Plants. Lots and lots of plants. Large ones, small ones, everywhere.

Books:  This one is different. I’ve been wanting to make scrap books forever, but it might be fun to have some proper books printed. I’m going to aim for 4 different books this year. A pixel dedicated book could be fun. Also one with all the shows we’ve been to this year.

Project Life:  I absolutely LOVE Elise’s idea and some sort of version of that is probably exactly the type of scrapbook idea I think I can get behind. I can just do a simple photo a day of something I’m doing and then put it together every month.

That’s it for now. I’m more than certain that this list is going to grow over the first few months. Time to get started!

Catch up if you missed my 29 at 29 list.

Last month I promised to explain how to draft your version of a future letter to yourself. The steps are fairly simple and I’ll use myself as an example. First, remember this letter is written some time in the future. I write my letter for one year from now, so this year’s letter is written as if it is Jan 2, 2013.

I write an intro paragraph with some general thoughts:

Dear Sherisa,

As I see myself walk into the door of 2013, I see a much more focused and mature Sherisa than ever before. The year started out with a bang. Turning 30 was such a huge accomplishment. Much more than I think I even thought it would be. 30 is such a solid number. And it gave me that extra boost. I felt much more stable. 2012 was the year of the Positive Productive; just look at all I accomplished in twelve months. I am so unbelievably proud of myself for having the faith that I can accomplish all I’ve set my mind to. I know that I can succeed at everything I glance at. The power lay within me. God has manifested that power within me. All Praise and Honor!!!

Then I usually make a list of all the things I would like to cover and I break it down however long as needed for each. I talk about personal growth and business:

Business
Health
Spirituality
Marriage
Friendships
Personal Growth
Financial
Home

The last bit is using some sort of service to email it to myself in the future. I’ve set my letter to be emailed to me 4 times in the year: once every quarter. I use FutureMe.org and they let you send it to yourself in the future as many times as you’d like. Once I’ve copy+pasted it and sent it off 4 times, I delete the draft I have on my computer so that I don’t haunt myself with constant reminders. I choose every quarter so that I can adjust what I need to in enough time and to also keep me on track.

There’s something that puts a bit of a fire under your ass when it just pops into your email and you’ve most likely forgotten about it while you just work day to day.

I hope this has been helpful and that you’ll also write your own for whatever goals you have. Or even if it’s for something like a surprise pick me up. That would be great too. If you do write one, I hope it works out well for you and your goals!

I can’t remember the last time I wrote about music on the blog. Sunday, Dennis and I headed to TokoMC to see a band perform that neither of us have heard before. One of the band members is friends with a few of our friends here so we went to check them out. It was my first time at an event with an almost 100% Indonesian crowd, which is ridiculously rare from what I’ve experienced here. Amsterdam is such a strange place.

white shoes and the couples company totally delivered. They were retro and funky and amazing. We hung out with them the following night and listened to some live jazz.