inspired resolutions.

Okay, so, as I typed in the title for this post, I remembered that my friend Lauree encouraged me to call resolutions PLANS instead - you're working toward these things, so it only makes sense. But you know what? I'm going to keep the title, simply because it sounds better! [Forgive me, Lauree?!] I have been thinking about this post for the past week, during which I sadly said goodbye to my family and drove 20+ hours back to Nashville with Claire. Now that it's New Year's Day, I'm ready to share this post with you all!

I have a number of plans for 2012, and I am convinced that it is going to be a year of growth and blessings, both of which I am excited for. I'm not going to share all of these plans with you because, let's be honest, some just aren't relevant to this blog. I am going to share a few that are inspired by Claire, though:

1. Work out every day. Even if it's a 2-mile walk with Claire, I need to get out there and get in shape. Everyone is always commenting on how lean Claire is, and that's because I make time for her to get out there and run - it's important for her health, and she loves to do it! I may not love to exercise (give me a comfy couch, a blanket, and a book any day), but it's important for my health, so I'm going to grin and bear it!
2. Spend 15-20 minutes training Claire each day. Not only will this be fun for the both of us, but it will help build Claire's confidence. My poor girl is a bit anxious, so I need to do my part to help her overcome that.
3. Be more positive. I was telling someone the other day that I wish I could be as happy as Claire is. Dogs are happy 99% of the time. I'm going to really work on reframing negative thoughts so that I can be happier overall.
4. Continue blogging at least twice a week, but work up to three posts per week on a consistent basis by the end of 2012. I started this blog to keep a journal of sorts about Claire's awesomeness, but it's morphed into something bigger - any blogger knows that a huge part of it is building relationships and sharing stories/ideas with others who have similar interests. I want to do my part to keep the conversation going with you all!
5. Work up to two photo shoots per month, consistently. I want to get my pet photography business going, but realistically, with my job, I can only do this on the weekends right now. I've been picking up extra weekend shifts lately, so I can only feasibly do two shoots a month at this time. But hey, everyone's got to start somewhere, right?

So, faithful readers, I'm going to need you to hold me accountable to working on these things hroughout the year - and I want to do the same for you. Leave a comment to share your goals/plans for 2012 below!