As promised, here is Part 2 of my "New Years Post" for 2012. Consider this post to be the nitty-gritty—the stuff I did well and the stuff I flopped on in 2012...

The Good

Bible Reading: As I mentioned in my last post, I stayed pretty consistent with my morning bible reading and prayer routine. Most days it was only a chapter or two, but just staying in the habit proved to be really beneficial for me in all aspects of my life. This something that I definitely plan to maintain in 2012. In fact, it is my goal to get through the entire New Testament and part of the Old Testament in 2012.Fitness: I surprised even myself with how great I've been doing with staying committed to my fitness routine. I have to admit that it was a slow start last year; very rarely did I even work out until late June, early July. When I got to Dallas for my summer internship around that time, I felt really inspired to get in shape because (1) so many of the young people there are in shape and (2) I knew that I wanted to be in the habit of working out by the time I got back to DC.

My little Texas-kick start really worked, because I was completely fitness obsessed by the time I got back to DC. I will go over my specific actions in a separate post dedicated to my fitness journey, but some of the major things I did included devising weight lifting and high intensity interval training routines for myself. My friends, let me just say that it has made all the difference. I dropped 8 pounds without even meaning to (I am 5' 9" and went from 148 to 140) and have developed significant muscle definition that even my boyfriend, friends and family have noticed. This is not only something that I want to maintain in 2012, but I would like to take it to the next level by becoming even more defined and increasing my athleticism.Finances: 2011 was a big year for me in terms of money. I was able to get the last two financial monkeys off my back by paying off my last two credit cards, which was approximately $2,700 in total debt. One of the main reasons I was able to do this was because of the salary I received from my summer internship. Although the first credit card was paid before the summer, I killed the last card ($2000) in exactly 8 weeks.Having extra money was obviously a big help, but even that would not have mattered if I didn't stick to my budget. I was very methodical and focused with my saving and paying those credit cards off, so sticking to my budget by doing things like cooking at home, packing lunches, taking the bus instead of the train (cheaper), and shopping for things secondhand or on-sale is what really helped me get over the hump.I will go into greater detail about my financial practices in another post (The Story of a Black Girl and Her Money, Part 3 is sooooo over due...) but this year I would like to stay debt-free in terms of the credit cards and pay off the smallest of my student loans, which is $3,350. I also would like to build "giving" into my budget where, in addition to what I regularly give my church, I'm doing something creative and spontaneously generous every month. I've always wanted to be more deliberate with charity, but I always convinced myself that I didn't have the time or money. Now that I'll be done with school and I'll have a "real job" in a few months, I really want to get serious about doing (financially) charitable things.

The Not-So-Good

Hair: 2011 was not a good year for me and my hair and I only have myself to blame. I reached APL in April of 2010 and have only retained about 3 or so inches past that since. I am about an inch away from BSL and it is driving. me. crazy!

The difference between where I am and where I want to be...ah, so close!

But as I said, *I* am my own hair culprit in that I got way too comfortable in 2011 and really developed some terrible hair habits. In brief, I was not diligent in sticking to my regimen, protective styling, moisturizing, or even tying my hair up at night. I will go into detail in my own dedicated "hair frustrations post" but for 2012 I know I have to get it together with the hair or I'll never reach my hair goals.Blog: As much as it pains me to admit it, in 2011 I did not work as hard on the blog as I could have and should have. Yes I was busy, but everyone is busy and I know that I could have cranked out more post if only I weren't so lazy! It has been my goal since the inception of this to expand the reach of Think & Grow Chick. I think the topics discussed on here are relevant and uniquely presented and I always feel I'm doing a disservice when I don't put as much into the blog as I am capable of. I think the biggest issue I faced last year was the limiting mindset of treating this like a hobby. When you say "hobby" to yourself, you think of a "some time" thing that you do whenever you feel like it for your own enjoyment. Honestly, I see Think & Grow Chick as better than that. Just by all of the wonderful, incredibly positive and inspiring comments that you all leave me, I think what it present here is really special. In 2012 I want to treat it that way by posting regularly on here and my social networks (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc).

***

So this is where I'm at in 2012. To really create an environment of success, I've done a few things:

1. I have (of course) written all of this down in a journal. My motto has always been "if it isn't written down, then it doesn't exist." Goals just aren't "concrete" for me until I have them written down in a place where I can review them regularly.
2. Speaking of writing things down, I even keep a Franklin-Covey planner to help me do the things that will get me closer to my goals on a daily basis. With this being my last semester in college, I expect there to be tons of "urgent" things that need to get done right away that will take up a lot of my time. By writing my goals in a planner and carving out time each week to work on them, I'm making sure that I'm making steady progress on the important, not urgent stuff that tends to repeatedly get pushed to the side.
3. While my planner is what helps me do the practical stuff towards my goals, vision boards help me "see" and "feel" my goals. This is where Pinterest comes in. I freakin' love Pinterest! It is a great way to collect inspiring images, videos and quotes off of the internet and organize them into virtual boards. I have boards for everything from fitness, to hair, to fashion, to even recipes I want to try. Follow me on Pinterest here.

***

What were the things you did and didn't do in 2011? What are some specific things you are trying to accomplish in 2012? Share in the comments section.