Since this is the last day of 2014 it is a good time to look back at 2014 and determine what went well and what didn’t go so well. I’ll start with what went well since I’d like to see the positives first.
Finances
This was a good year for me financially. I was able to max out my IRA and also put about $10,000 in my savings account. 2013 was my highest income year ever, but I think 2014 might have beaten it. Although my income was still fairly modest it was easily enough to support my spending habits and I didn’t have to worry about having enough money during the year. That is a big improvement from just a couple of years ago.
Travel
I was able to do a fair bit of traveling. I went to Las Vegas twice and Cancun once. I also went on a two-week hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail and had some shorter trips on the Katy Trail. I also earned a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass and have a stockpile of about 60,000 SW miles to use for travel in 2015.
Fitness
I was able to lose thirty pounds this year and win my Healthy Wage bet. When I made it down to 196 I did feel better and my clothing was loose. This was the lowest weight I’d been for a couple of years and the first success I’d experienced losing weight for several years.
Of course, there was also some things that didn’t go so well. Although I managed to lose thirty pounds this year overall I didn’t really improve my fitness. I’ve gained back twenty of the thirty pounds I lost. This is a result of going back to my old eating habits. I need to start eating better in 2015 and losing weight again.
Writing was something I was terrible at doing this year. I had writing goals for monthly goals several times this year and I don’t think I made any of my writing goals. There is a lot of room for improvement here. I don’t think I’m going to bother setting writing goals anymore. I need to just write.
I also regret cutting my A.T hiking trip short and not finishing the Katy Trail. I need to get better at dealing with temporary discomfort and sticking to my plans.
Overall, 2014 was an okay year. If I stick to the goals I’ve set for 2015 it will be a great year.
Happy New Year Andy!
Not counting your road trip to Arkansas for the passport as travel? That’s a few hundred miles round trip and you stayed the night…
Oh well, just had to comment. All the best to you and yours in 2015.
Happy New Year Brad! I forgot about that trip. We did see some of the local sights and stayed overnight so it does count as travel. Have a great 2015.