My 2019 Goals

Like most people, the start of the new year is a time for me to reflect and set new goals for the year ahead. Recently I spent a couple of days praying about the new year and trying to figure out what I want my 2019 to look like. Instead of a typical New Years resolution, I decided to set goals. For me, I feel like goals and a plan to achieve those goals align better with my life than resolutions do. So today I am sharing my 2019 goals with you.

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My 2019 Goals

Before I get into the specifics of my goals I want to mention that although I set these goals and plan to work on them daily, I am also being realistic about them. I know that not every day will be perfect. Life will get busy, kids will get sick, or some days, the motivation just won’t be there. But these goals are important to me and I want to be intentional about working towards achieving them.

I broke my goals up into 6 different categories. Mental health, spiritual, family, marriage, exercise, and blog.

Mental Health

1. Wake up before the kids to write in my journal every morning. I use the Start Today Journal to write down 5 things I am grateful for, 10 dreams I have, and 1 goal I am going to work on to achieve my dreams. I love this practice. I have noticed a difference in my mindset when I start the day focusing on the things I am grateful for and reminding myself of the person I want to become. Reminding myself daily of the dreams I have for myself and my family gives me the energy and excitement I need to be the best version of myself throughout the day.
2. Give myself a break. I know I am a better mom and a happier wife when I have some time to myself to reset. This year, I want to learn to give myself that time without experiencing guilt.

Spiritual

1. Attend community group regularly. My attendance at community group last year was pathetic. I know I feel so much better when I am showing up and spending time in the word with the women from church. So being at community group is absolutely a priority to me this year.
2. Put more time into Sunday School. I help run the preschool Sunday School class at our church. I want to spend more time preparing for class each week and really invest in the children at our church. I plan to pray for these children individually and support their families better.

Family

1. Be present for my children and husband. Above everything else, God and my family are all that matters. I want to be present for my kids who are growing up way too fast. I want to be invested in their lives and be able to show up for them how they need me to. Same goes for my husband.
2. Plan a family vacation. We are talking about planning a Spring Break family vacation and it will be our first as a family of 5.

Marriage

1. Dates. Abe and I need more time together, just the two of us. Towards the end of last year, we were making dates happen a little more regularly and I plan for that to continue throughout this year.
2. Husband and wife only trip. It has been a very, very long time since Abe and I have been on a vacation just the two of us. I want to make that happen this year. This trip doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t have to be far. Just a quick getaway just the two of us.

Exercise

1. Learn to run. My exercise goal for this year is to start a running program. I have always wanted to be a runner. I admire people who love running and are good at it. I want to be the person that goes for a run after a stressful day.

Blog

1. Continue to learn more. I love blogging and I have learned so much about it over the past year. I have loved watching my blog grow and connecting with some really sweet readers. I have plans to learn and to grow even more in this new year. I am looking into a couple different courses and plan to register for one before the end of this month. By the end of the year, I plan to have finished courses in 3 different areas of blogging.
2. Register as a business. For income and tax purposes, I plan to register as an official business. That makes me feel so grown up!
3. Set work hours. Another goal I have for the blog is to honor my time and my family by setting and sticking to work hours. With this job, I really struggle to shut my brain off and “clock out” of blogger mode. I am constantly thinking of blog posts or working on photos or graphics or emails. It is so awesome that I can work at any time from anywhere but it can also be distracting and take me away from what is important. So, I plan to work out a schedule and shut things down at a certain time each day.

similar sweater | similar jeans

SOME TIPS FOR SETTING YOUR OWN GOALS

I like the idea of wording my goals in a way that I can measure them. This helps me see growth. Being able to see the growth is especially helpful for times when I get discouraged. Looking back at the journey and seeing how far I have come or how close I am to achieving a goal is the motivation I need to keep going when things get hard. So for example, instead of saying I will be more active, I was more specific with my exercise goal by saying I wanted to start a running program. This way I can see how well I am doing, have I made any progress towards this goal and is this something I can accomplish this year? Just saying I’ll be more active can be difficult to measure.

Another helpful tip is to share your goals with someone. Tell your spouse, your best friend, or a mentor. It may feel scary to tell someone but sharing your big, scary, personal goals with the person you trust will help keep you accountable and they can encourage you to keep going when it gets hard.

What are some of your goals for 2019? Do you have a plan in place to achieve those goals?