2017 Goals

I know it’s no longer January (we’re actually in the third month of the year) but I don’t see anything wrong with reminding myself frequently of the goals I have set for myself this year. Like the majority of people who set resolutions for themselves, I have found it difficult in years past to stick to them. I have been very good at setting vague resolutions with no real way to measure success or failure and eventually I just put them to the wayside and forget about them completely. This year I have tried setting measurable goals in an attempt to motivate myself to stick with it and work hard to achieve them.

I have divided these goals into 6 categories and have set three for each category. I  realize this is a lot for one person to achieve in one year. My purpose is not to overwhelm myself but to give myself a list of things that I would like to achieve eventually. I will be working bit by bit on each one as the year passes and if I can check off just a few I will be a happy camper! Then when it comes to writing goals for 2018 I can reassess the goals that have yet to be completed and decided if they are worth pursuing for another year or if I should shelve those ideas for the time being. 

What are some of your goals for 2017?

Personal

1. Get a new job opportunity (Completed: Jan 2017) – This is something that I worked on for quite a while and I am happy to say that in late January of this year I was offered a new position. This new position is a lot closer to home and finally achieving this goal has really kick started my year and made me strive to complete more goals I have set!
2. Read a book a month – I have always LOVED reading. Since graduating college in 2009 I have done significantly less of it and I thought that it was about time to change that. So far I read two books in January, and a book in February so this one is going strong! I hope to recap these at the end of the year!
3. Create my own recipes and start a collection of them – In the last few years I have really gotten into cooking. I really enjoy getting in the kitchen and throwing ingredients together to make dinner. I really want to hone my skills this year and build my repertoire.

Social 

1. Send birthday greetings and cards to friends and family – I will be completely honest…this one is off to a rough start. I have been better about texting and messaging people on their birthdays but I think a card adds such a personal touch and I have missed several birthdays since the first of the year. Hopefully I can turn this ship around by the end of the year!
2. Make more weekend plans with friends – I am a self proclaimed homebody. I prefer doing things around the house on the weekends over going out anywhere. Unfortunately this has caused me to loose touch with a lot of people over the last few years. I want reconnect with people and I think reaching out again is going to yield positive results.
3. Spend more time with my brother, my mom, my grandma, and my grandpa – This one is really simple. I want to make more time for the family members that I don’t see as much. I see my dad once a week when we go for our Saturday morning walks and they truly are one of the highlights of my week. Making memories with my family is really important to me and I believe it is something worthy of more focus this year!

Financial

1. Start a retirement account – I mean I want to eventually be able to stop working full time at some point and not worry about money. This one is pretty self explanatory.
2. Pay off credit card and at least 1/2 of my remaining car loan – Becoming financially secure has been a hard fought journey for me and it something I want to continually improve. Paying off debt is a huge part of that!
3. Increase savings to at least $4,000 – Not a lot I know but it has been a long time since I have seen a significant amount in my savings account and I want to keep building that up!

Health

1. Plan weekly meals and grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday – Healthy eating has been a huge focus for me for a long time. While I find it difficult at times to stick to eating healthy foods, it is significantly easier if I have meals planned and know that I have the ingredients for them in my kitchen.
2. Workout at least 4 times per week – Getting my fitness game on point has always been a struggle. However, dedicating at least 4 hours a week for myself and my health is a small price to pay for feeling good mentally and physically.
3. Unplug after work at least 2 times per week – I think I could write a whole post on unplugging from the internet and social media. It is really easy to fall into a pattern of comparing your life to others when you constantly are checking your Facebook feed during the day and a lot of times the result isn’t a good one. I also find that there is so much negativity online and on the television that taking a break and enjoying the company of your family or enjoying a good book can really help give your brain a break and a positive boost.

Home

1. Add more art & family/friend pictures to the walls – Our walls are pretty bare and could definitely use a pick-me-up!
2. Buy a desk (Completed: Feb 2017) and set up office space – Desk has been checked off and I currently am sharing office space with my boyfriend but we really want to work on making the office a pleasant place to go to work or play bejeweled…okay maybe that’s just me 😉
3. Set up a cleaning schedule – Can you say type A? We moved into this house almost 2 years ago now and it is significantly bigger than out rental. Things slip through the cracks and I just think it would be easier to have a schedule when things were last cleaned so we can keep up.

Dream BIG

1. Launch Blog by 30th birthday (Completed: March 1st, 2017) and post 2-3 times per week – This has been a dream of mine for so long. I have tried to write other blogs but I was not brave enough to announce it to even my family and closest friends. Not this time! Actually buying my own domain and really committing my time to this blog has been a joy. I have also announced it to some friends and family and have even created a Facebook page for it! It’s a real labor of love for me and I am excited to see where it goes!
2. Expand garden area in the backyard – This is going to take some convincing on my part to see if Jake will let me do this but I would love more area to grow more vegetables. I am trying to improve my green thumb and I really want more space to play with!
3. Buy a new camera – Jake has been kind enough to help me take pictures for this blog with his camera. I would love to purchase my own and improve my photography skills as well!