2014 aspirations.

i hate calling them resolutions. it makes them seem like a revelation, or something profound when really they're aims i want to achieve during the year & beyond. i wasn't going to share my aspirations (that's actually what i've titled it in my notebook) but i just looked back and read my blog post from the end of 2012 and it was so nice to read about the things i really hoped for & wanted when i was in a completely different stage of my life. it's funny reading something you wrote a year ago, when you were a completely different person, in a completely different mindset. i'm so glad i have this blog to write and share & keep as a capsule for myself (& possibly my children one day). i'm glad i kept it up and scanning through, i blogged at least twice a month during 2013; the months i blogged a lot showed when i was inspired, and the months that were quiet were my busy/uninspired months.
so, my aspirations for 2014 are;

• keep blogging! try to do 'photo an hour' every month, at least six during 2014; share the process of my new house as it grows and develops into my dream property; share more of my photography; share monthly recommendations - films, books, bits & bobs; and most importantly - enjoy it!
• read ten books. i failed miserably at reading twenty books in 2013; i read around eight, i'm not really sure. but i've already started book one and i think ten is way more realistic.
• keep it simple. i don't want my home to be cluttered with things i don't want or need. my head feels cluttered when my room is & i don't want that to transfer when i move. not only in terms of material things, but in what i'm doing & saying too.
• have two hours computer/phone/internet free every day. i'm glued to my phone/computer and struggle to not have either in my hand or open on my knee. i want to switch off from the cyberworld and really pay attention to the real world; what's around me, what people are saying and doing and i really want to spend the time reading/meditating/cleaning/talking to someone. i'm pretty much on my phone/laptop 14 hours of the day, if not more & i want to stop!
• don't buy what i want, buy what i need. i want to be more frugal & condense my spending. find more things to do that don't cost money, learn how to manage money & admire things but don't buy them when it isn't necessary. 
• do what i love. i was so blessed in 2013 and have so much hope in what god has planned for me this year. i want to really listen to what god is saying to me and act on it. i did that more than ever last year and i really saw the outcomes of being faithful and hopeful. i want to keep taking everything to god, putting my worries, fears, hopes & thanks on him and rest in the knowledge he'll do what's best for me. you can never stop learning and changing and i can't wait to be a better version of the self i am right now.
• jar of thanks. i did the jar in 2013, but not as often as i'd like. i want to not save it for "big" things and just go wild! i haven't decided on whether i will share what was in my 2013 jar. maybe some, definitely not all. 

have you got any aspirations? how are they going?