Hi friends 
How are ya? Hope you’re having a great morning so far <3
As y’all know, I’m kind of an anti-resolution girl. If I want to change something, I change it. There’s so reason to wait, or have the added pressure of an ambiguous date (ie New Years).
I am however, an inspiration board kinda girl
Every year around New Years, I like to put together a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to post in a place where I’ll see it everyday (usually in the closet). It provides general mindset and motivational ideas, reminds of my big picture goals and keeps me on track throughout the year.
It’s also a fun little arts and crafts project 
I’m a huge believer that if you call it out the universe, it will happen. When I was in college and met the Pilot, I was in the interview process for a job I really wanted, and had also landed a job with a Fortune 5 company. I was ready to climb the corporate ladder and my world was flipped upside down. I married the love of my life and from then on, I’d be at the whims of the military. As a total Type A and control freak, I had a hard time dealing with the fact that I’d have no control over where we’d be living or how long we would be there.
Something lit a fire under my booty while we were at dinner with my parents and one of their friends. During dinner conversation, we were talking about the friend’s job, who worked as a military pilot. The pilot said “I get to fly around and have a great time while my wife has to work worthless low-paying jobs wherever we go.” I was enraged. His his wife followed him around, took care of their family and there he was, mocking the fact that she was unable to find a meaningful job wherever they were sent. I knew from that moment on that I would refuse to settle for mediocrity and push myself to do what I truly wanted to do, no matter what obstacles the military lifestyle threw at us. I called it out to the universe to help me find my path, even though I had no idea what it would be.
It took a lot of soul-searching, working painful jobs that I knew weren’t for me, tears and research to discover what I wanted to do with my life, and it’s still a huge work in progress. If we wouldn’t have moved to Valdosta, I wouldn’t have started the blog, which ended up being the most rewarding hobby and best job I’ve ever had. Everything happens for a reason.
While I only have a small glimpse into what this year will bring, I have a good feeling it’s going to be amazing
Here’s what this year’s inspiration board looks like: (2010’s can be found *here* and *here*)
In 2011, I will…
-Live a richer life, by getting the most that I can out of each day. At the end of each day, I’ll write down something I learned or took away from it, no matter the magnitude. Every day can teach us something.
-Be calm, mindful, patient, understanding and PRESENT. This is a huge one for me because I’m such a busy body and am always thinking about what’s next.
-Follow my heart and be true to myself
-Be fearless
-Practice yoga and dance as often as I can
-Get back to my eating roots. My eating has changed dramatically since I started the blog. The most awesome thing about this is that I’m eating way less processed foods than I used to back in the day, but the kicker is that my macronutrient balance is off. I’ve lost a lot of muscle definition since I stopped eating chicken, and am going to try to make protein more of a focus in my life by still rolling with whole, unprocessed foods. You can get enough protein by eating plant-based foods, but it doesn’t seem like I’m doing it correctly.
-Travel to exciting places with my love. Literally and metaphorically
-Continue to pour my heart and soul into the blog and increase readership by 50%. Last month was the best month ever for my little blog (she was very excited about it!) so expect a “Thank you” macaroon giveaway this week <3
-Make my first year as [insert fitness franchise here] owner fun, profitable and a positive impact on the community. I mentioned in my New Year’s post that the Pilot and I bought a business last week. I am over the moon excited about it and am waiting until he gets home to spill the beans. I will say that it is something that I’m insanely passionate about 
I’m off to spin, but before I go, here are some pics of the beautiful inspiration boards that you sent me:
Since I received so many, and they’re all amazing, I’ll be posting some each morning for the rest of the week <3
Thank you to all of YOU for inspiring me on a daily basis
Something to talk about: What’s your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for 2011? The kind of goal that scares you, it’s so important and exciting. Run a marathon, open a business, adopt a pet, travel to another country? I love hearing what you’re up to
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
Awww I love all the sparkles on it!! Thanks for posting mine- my mom was admiring it this morning. I can’t wait to hang it!
Mine is run a marathon. I. Hate. Running. HATE. But I think it’s because when I was young I was extremely uncoordinated and really unathletic, I hated gym class, and the worst day of the year for me was always the “mile run,” which I would walk the whole way and always be the last with everyone else jeering at me from the finish. I’m now a Pilates instructor and have been taking the time to challenge myself physically, trying new things that I have no idea if I will be good at, or even things I *know* I’m bad at. I want to run with my uncle and stepdad in the New York City Marathon – no idea if I can, but I started running last week and I will keep going. Even if that marathon doesn’t really happen this year, teaching myself discipline will be so good for me.
We have the same “Break Free” and “Be Fearless” quotes! I hope to see mine on here later, it is the first one I have ever made!
I love the idea of inspiration boards! I’m a visual person so having the pictures would be good for me instead of just writing it out. You’re an inspiration to me, though. You’re one of the first blogs that I read, which inspired (and inspires) me to eat unprocessed and different foods. Happy New Year!
Your board looks great! I never heard back from you about the treasure map/vision poster giveaway. But it looks like you and most your readers are doing fine on your own by hand!
I have a lot of goals this year! Two that I’m really excited about that are going to be HUGE changes for me are to run 500 miles this year including my first race (I think I’ll start with a 5k!) and to get married and move in to a new apartment with my love!
I haven’t made an inspiration board yet, but I’m planning to do it tomorrow. I can’t wait!
SJ & I are working on our boards as we speak. I loved yours; you are motivating me! So excited for your business venture!
My son saw what we were doing; now he wants to make one.
that’s awesome!
i can’t wait to see you!!
I cannot wait to hear more about your biznasty! Whatever it may be, I KNOW you will be a smashing success. I know you, me, and many of your readers are fans of nanners, so I thought you might want to pass this link along to your readership: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/chemist-discovers-a-non-prank-use-for-banana-peels.php
Isn’t that cool?!
AMAZING
I love this post! Everyone’s boards look so inspiring.
Thank YOU Gina for always being an inspiration to your readers. I can’t wait to see all the good things that are going to happen for you and your loved ones.
I am doing the “Triple Crown” of Running here in KY. It sets some long term goals for me. I am super excited to see where my running takes me in 2011 as well as eating healthier!
I absolutely LOVE reading your blog! I always have a smile on my face because your positive outlook shines in every post and you are quite simply an inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing bits and pieces of your life, dreams, and ambitions with the rest of us!
thank YOU so much for reading
My big scary goal is to take my blog and business to a whole new level of crazy good value and growth. I love what I do, I love the people I work with and my readers, and I continually aim to offer as much value as possible. So this year I want to push myself to go even further, question what more I can do, what better quality and value I can provide and then do it. I am scheduling regular weekly time to work on this each week and review how I can improve. Fun! Love your board!!
where did you get that super cute paper?!
target!
I love the idea of an inspirational board–so much better than boring resolutions!
I didn’t get a chance to make an inspiration board in time for Monday, but I still want to make one for this year. I love having the visual reminder of my goals!
One of my big goals and it may not seem that big to others is to run a 2 person relay which will be 6 miles for me… I am excited yet extremeley nervous! I have never ran more than 3 miles before!!
I love this idea! It reminds me of middle school, but that’s not a bad thing. It inspires me to have my own little inspiration board party.
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Well, you have definitely increased your readership by one! I love your blog and found it, I think, through Gena’s Choosing Raw. Anyway, keep it up! You are amazing and inspiring!
Great entry! My BHAG for the year is to pay down almost $40,000 of debt by 2012. I’m nervous but excited. New follower here, really enjoying the blog!
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