Last Day as 33

Take 365 days ago at sunrise of my 33year

I read in a writing book that you ought to dream bigger than your current dream and set goals four
times more then you currently hope to accomplish. The reason they give is that on average we only accomplish a quarter of the goals we set. Well this year I broke that statistic completing just over three quarters! This has been the most successful challenge year yet with 25 out of 33 challenge completed.

For those new to my blog, most years I create a birthday bucket list of things I want to accomplish during the year. It is my way of living intentionally. On the eve of each birthday I want to be able look back over the year I know that I have done things that matter to me. I owe it to 8 year-old-me to do the things I use to dream about doing. If I don't set these type of goals I'll just get one with more than my daily routine and find that the year went by.

It's hard to believe this year is almost over. Today is my last day as 33. I always find the eve of my birthday bitter-sweet. I am excited for tomorrow's celebrations and the number of candles doesn't bother me. I am just a little said to say good-by to 33. It has been quite the year, full of some amazing events, a few lows, and some very unexpected twists. I think part of what made it such a good year was the 33 While 33 Challenge. Before I start making next year's goals I want to look back on what I've done,

Completed Challenges

1. Choose a "My One Word" to focus my 33rd year: My word was abide. I really liked this challenge so much that it will probably be on the new list.
5. Go some place new: I went to a few new places. The first was a lake that I forgot the name of. The second was "London" and "Diagon Ally" at Universal in Orlando.

 

6. Serve/help/volunteer in a new way: I organized a group to walk in the Coldest Night of the year.

7. Capture Happiness every day
8. Count my blessings: through my own journal and all the Thankful Thursday posts.

9. Plan a trip

10. Remember Birthdays
11. Mail letters
12. Visit my Grandma Stewart: Grandma, I want you to know I always love spending time with you.
13. Build a snowman with my sister: It was a challenge but we figured out how to succeed, which is explained here: Do you want to build a snowman?
14. Take a hot air balloon ride with my mum: this was the one thing I didn't actually thing would happen but it did!

 

15. Go for a hike in the woods 
17. Learn a new skill: thank you Brent for teaching me new winter driving skills in a snow storm.
18. Make a new friend
19. Reconnect with past friends: I am most excited that I one of my dearest friends from high school (but went to a different school) lives close. We've hung out four times and it all started at my birthday last year. I also got to see my first youth pastor and his wife in January. It was amazing.
20. Dance: it happened twice at two weddings. Dance might make the new list with more formality like "take a dance class."
21. Try a new food: I tried Moroccan food and a strawberry-chicken pizza
22. Draw: it became a weekly thing
25. Sleep under the stars: I kept putting this off till mid-September. It was a beautiful but cold experience.
26. Celebrate an obscure or odd "holiday": Nano Eve and Pi Day

27. Send flowers
23. Grow something: and it is still alive a month later!
29. Get lost in a corn maze

31. Do something I've been putting off
32. Host a murder mystery: I had so much fun hosting "Once Upon a Murder" I had a Christmas "Ho Ho Homicide" too
33. Go on a date

8 Challenges Not Completed

2. Paint the canvas -someday it will be painted (I bought the canvas for my 30th birthday) you'll probably see this on the next list.
3. Read the whole Bible -I completed 16 books and plan to have this on the next list
4. Finish 11 non-fiction books -I started more than a 11 books but I only finished 6.

16. Create a photo book -too expensive at this time

28. Be flexible -I didn't really set a measure for this so since I am about as flexible as I was 365 days ago I think its another fail.
24. Be a vegetarian for 30 days: March and April were going to be my month but other things needed my focus.

30. Send one of my works of fiction to a publisher: I chickened out.

33 was fun. Now to see what 34 holds.