2018 At a Glance

Hello, my sweet friends! I hope 2018 is off to an awesome start for you! It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post in the Goal Digging series when I spoke to you about how to get back on track with your goals. I hope that you are all killing it, but if there have already been some surprises that have crept up on you, have no fear – I’ve got your back.

Today, I want to share with you some of my goals for 2018. To me, goals are deeply personal and even telling others can be intimidating. Admitting that you want more out of life can be really difficult for some. This is something I still struggle with. I often feel guilty or as though I have no right when others have far less. But, I am sharing in the hopes that it will encourage braveness in others.

I’m on this journey with all of you; I’ve asked you to get personal with your goals, to really dig deep when it comes to thinking about how you feel (and how you want to feel), so I feel like I wouldn’t be “walking the walk” if I didn’t get in on that action myself.

Talking about your goals with others can help you to be accountable. I would say that I am hardest on myself when it comes to falling off track with goals. I often push myself to meet my goals, but sometimes certain areas of my life will get more hectic than normal and those personal development goals that were really important to me can sometimes get overshadowed by something else that is going on. When my mom asks me about my writing or a friend checks in on that new work project I’ve been hoping to finish, it can be a strong motivating force to refocus and get back to work.

Finally, I wanted to share my goals with you to highlight the fact that I am a work in progress. I don’t have it all figured out. There are areas of my life where I struggle, habits I’d like to break and new skills I’d like to cultivate. I am here to share it with you: the good, the bad and the ugly.

So, in the spirit of transparency, let me be honest with you right from the outset: 2018 hasn’t been off to the most productive start. The first three weeks of January have been busier than normal at work; I’ve been dealing with some circumstances that are less than typical (like having to fit 2 weeks of work in 4 days), and as a result, when I get home in the evenings, I’m both physically and emotionally spent. I’m now in a place where I can start to get my head on straight again and approach life with an open mind. But this just goes to show you: unexpected events creep up all the time and threaten to derail your progress. The important thing is to evaluate 1) if your original intentions are still serving you, and 2) what do you need most right now. For me, I recognized, that I needed a break. I needed to focus on one thing at a time, knowing that the others would be there where I left them when I felt it was the right time. Which is starting today, with this blog post!

Now, without further ado, here are some of my goals for 2018:

Compete in my first ever triathlon

A couple of months ago, while cleaning out the desk in my home office, I found a piece of paper from when I was 21.  Scribbled in several different colours of ink was a list of random events from “get married” to “buy a house” and “see the pyramids”. At the very top, was the title “30 Things to Do Before I’m 30”. I was surprised to see that many of the items on the list could be crossed off,  but there was one that stood out, that filled me with such a strong yearning, I couldn’t ignore it: Compete in a triathlon. So, I decided that despite not being a swimmer, a biker or a runner, this was the year I was going to do it. I signed up to a new gym that has a pool, I registered for the race and I did all kinds of research into training plans.  For now, my goal is to finish, but I hope once I’ve been training for a little while to be able to set a time goal for motivation.

Finish the book I’ve been writing

This is a big one for me. I started writing this book four years ago and haven’t been able to bring myself to finish it. I believe it is a classic case of over-thinking and an unreasonable desire for perfection that has kept me from completing it. Now, it feels like the right time to get back at it. Who knows, maybe the time away will bring clarity and perspective that might just prove to be exactly what I need to finish.

Read more books

This one was on my goal list for 2017 and I definitely did just that: I hoped to read 6, figuring one every other month would be reasonable, but I ended up reading 11! Of these books, 4 were non-fiction and 7 were fiction (with 4 of the 7 being Harry Potter). This year, I am hoping to finish the Harry Potter series, add in some more non-fiction and diversify my library. For so long, I found myself reaching for the same types of books, so this year I’d like to read things I would never normally pick out. I don’t want to set a number to it – just whatever feels good.

Connect with fellow bloggers/writers

I started doing this in 2017, but this year my focus is to find a tribe of women who are putting their hearts into the world in print. As a hopeful author, I want to connect with others who have made their “one day” dreams come to fruition.

Take some classes

I was a student for a really long time. When I graduated, I thought, “I’m never coming back! Muahaha!!!” It’s funny though, I’ve been thinking for a while now that I want to step back into my “student role”. I’ve been doing some reflecting about what I can do to light that fire inside me but also add value to my professional life and I think I’ve decided. More details on that to come, I’m sure!

More date nights!

The hubby and I spend a lot of time together. In the evenings, we always have dinner together and usually do some activities together on weekends, but life often gets so hectic, you can forget to really soak in the moment. If 2017 taught me one thing, it is how precious this life is. So, I want to have regular date nights (out or in) where we are really mindful about being in each other’s company and growing our relationship even stronger than it already is.

There are a few other intentions I’ve made for 2018, but a girl’s got to have some secrets, right? All of these goals are a reflection of where I am today, and what I would love to accomplish, but more than a list of “to do” items, this is a list of ways I plan to bring bliss to my life. More than anything, I want to feel focused, connected, light, inspired and happy and these are just some of the things that can lead me to those feelings.

I hope 2018 brings you opportunities to feel the way you want to feel and, if it doesn’t, you’re in the driver’s seat; make those amazing feelings happen!

Until next time.

XO
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