There have been years that I did not have some New Years resolutions. My resolution was to have no resolutions so I wouldn’t fail at keeping my resolutions… Wow! Now, looking back on those years of my life when my outlook was that- stagnant years. Stagnant times in my life when I was satisfied to be mediocre. I am not there any more!
And I am changing the wording of New Years resolutions- I am going to call it year long goals. And for the first time ever in my memory, I am going to set these goals and then check in on myself periodically to make sure I am staying on track.
I love me some Dave Ramsey, so when this came across my Facebook wall, it was like a bell went off in my head. I already had some resolutions forming in my head, but this post of Dave Ramsey’s helped me refocus and also to redefine my resolutions as specific goals.
Now, I love goals. I love having something to work towards so this shifting of New Year’s resolutions to year-long goals is right up my alley! And also, I am well aware that setting a lofty goal can be very dangerous! So, I am going to set not only obtainable goals but maintainable goals. And much like I used this blog as a platform to keep myself accountable about getting back into my jeans, I am going to do the same with my 2014 goals. I will be checking in on myself and updating you, dear reader, every 2 months.
So, those are my boundaries, let’s get on with the goals. I have eleven. Is that too many? Well, obviously, I don’t think so. They are broken into 4 groups but all under one umbrella. I have been reading this most fabulous book by Brene Brown that I am going to detail in a later post but the underlying theme of her book is the inspiration for the umbrella of my goals: to live wholeheartedly. The first 4 goals are about my personal self.
#1. I really, really, really need to drink water. Optimally I would like to drink a gallon of water a day. But, here’s the catch- I don’t like water. It’s flavorless and boring. I would much rather drink anything else. So, currently on average, I drink about 1 glass of water a week. Yes, a week. So, to drink a gallon a day! I will have to set some smaller goals and work my way there. My first water consumption goal will be to drink three 12 ounce glasses of water a day. I think that is a good place to start.
#2. My second goal is to get real about exercising. My goal is to exercise 3-4 times a week… all year long. I am fairly good at getting on an exercise resolve and going at it for a couple weeks or a month and then my resolve dissipates and the exercise stops. Like water, exercise is so good for my body- my heart, my muscles, my waistline, my attitude- so, this is my year! But, I am not going to think about the entire year, I am going to think about getting to the start of March and my first check-in.
#3. The third goal on list is to meal plan- consistently- all year long. Again, I have started this before and for whatever reason it fell to the wayside. I think one of my biggest speed bumps last time was that I got completely overwhelmed by Pinterest. I was trying to do too many new recipes- like every single meal was for the first time ever. I learned from my mistake, I am just going to lay out some meals. It doesn’t have to be fancy- there just has to be a plan otherwise, Bub and I find ourselves eating out.
Not that eating out is a bad thing- but, when I cook I have complete control of how what I am eating is cooked. We can cook eggs with coconut oil rather than butter and we can eat organic meats and whole grain pastas and fresh veggies. My goal is to have 4 meals planned a week as well as 3 lunches and snacks. This not only helps me at the grocery store but also I am not at a loss when super time comes.
#4. The final one in this personal group is to read 2 books a month. That’s really not a lot of reading. I used to be a book fiend! But, then life took hold and my reading habit kind of died. However, in the last 4 months or so I have joined a book group through my AdvoFamily and that old spark was rekindled. I have read some really awesome books through that group and then a couple on my own as well. I am going to go into them in more detail in a later post- but, I want to keep my inner book worm alive!
#5. My fifth goal for the year to pin the 3 Star Gold leadership level with AdvoCare. Bub and I have to pin the Silver and Gold leadership levels to get to the 3 Star Gold level. I am not trying to explain what it takes to get there- but, advancing our AdvoCare business is certainly on my goals radar for the year.
#6. And then I have some goals for this blog. The first is to find ways to increase our habitual readership. I think it is fair to say that on average, we have 75-125 visits per post. That is not to say that we don’t have posts with only 30 hits and on the flip to that, there are posts have 5000 or more visits.
But, I would like our average to go up to somewhere around 200 (or more) hits per post, on average. You can kind of see from the above photo collage how many visits each post has gotten- I want that average to be over 200. We have and love our constant readers, but FTTDWYW always strives for more eye balls!
#7. Also, Leigh and I have a virtual calendar for the blog- I want to fully utilize it. I have begun using it but, just like meal planning, I want to post- plan. (Is a pattern starting it surface? I like having a plan- at least a loose one.) I have explained previously that our post are scheduled and because they publish at 5:00AM, they are written in advance. Ultimately, I would like to be at least 2, if not 3 or 4 posts ahead of schedule- all the time. That starts- at least for me- with plotting out the post topics on the calendar.
#8. And one more for the blog- I want Leigh and I to find or create a Facebook group of bloggers. I think we could learn from others bloggers and we could it would also be nice to have a cohesive group of blogging friends that offered not only feedback but support as well. So, if you know of any such group or are interested in being a part of such a group- please, let Leigh or me know!
#9. The next group of goals for the year fall in the “other” category. The first in this group is that I want to have $1000 in Baby Bub’s savings account. I opened him one with his Christmas money (yes, he made out like a bandit!) I want to try to help Baby Bub learn Dave Ramsey’s theory on money: You have to give some, spend some and save some. And also too, I want to beef up our savings account. Having a cushion in the bank is a comfort to me- Murphy’s Law is always lurking and having a cushion is a way to have a dog in the fight against old Murphy!
#10. I want to give back to the community. I think I want to adopt our local food bank. So, I am going to make in roads to getting in touch with the local food bank and go from there.
and #11. I want to acquire new music. I am tired of listening to the same old stuff- it is loosing its magic. I think if I incorporate some new stuff, I will be excited when the old stuff turns up in the rotation. I want to hear Lady Gaga’s new album and actually, I am interested in Toni Braxton and Babyface’s new album- don’t hate.
So. There you have it. My eleven goals for the year. I am anxious to see how this all pans out and I am also anxious to see if I can stick with these for the entire year! I do want see it out. The restaurant owner that Bub and I both work for says “Don’t expect what you don’t inspect.” Obviously he means in the context of the restaurants- but, it rings true in other arenas too- these goals for starters.
Have you made your resolutions goals for the year? What are you going to focus on for the upcoming year?
I love all of those and I think you need a planner! I am in this really REALLY nerdy planner addicts group on Facebook but they have taught me how to make my own planner with pages customized for all of my needs and goal setting and its pretty fun to check off a box and keeps me organized ( I even have a stamp for each daily page that is 8 glasses of water that I check off as I drink them! ha ) like i said super nerdy but you might outta think about it! we have some similar goals! I also like to instagram pics of meals when I cook to hold me accountable. Meal planning was my resolution last year!
I love a good planner and I love checking items off a list. I use the calendar on my phone because I can set alarms…