2018 Goal Check-In

As we near the end of 2018 I thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year and see where I’m at. 

Are there still goals I want to complete, are there goals that won’t serve me and I can ignore? How can my list influence 2019?

Today we’re just going to focus on my personal goals. 

So, here they are:

[ ] learn to play a song on my ukulele

[x] participate in a race

[ ] keep all of my receipts 

[ ] pay off my student loans

[ ] hang out with family/friends once a week

[ ] produce less waste/buy less plastic

At the moment the only one I have crossed off is participate in a race. I’ve actually done a few. I ran a 15k in San Francisco, a half marathon here in Des Moines and just did a sprint triathlon in Texas. 

But…

There are quite a few others that are more of a ongoing goal than a one time thing. 

For example, I’ve been keeping all my receipts in a manilla envelope in my desk, so I’ll be able to check that one off. 

I usually stop to stay hi to my mom at her work on my way to or from either the coffee shop or library. I try to get down and see my sister usually every other week. We’ve been hanging out with Michael’s family as well. Friends have been a bit harder because we all have different, demanding schedules, but we make a good effort towards it. 

And buying less plastic and producing less waste is definitely an ongoing goal I’m working towards. I will probably check it off, but it’s not like a concrete thing you know. 

I won’t have my loans paid off by the end of the year, but I’m making monthly progress towards it. I’m below the $5000 mark, which feels great and I’d love to get down to the $4000 mark by the end of the year. 

And I still have yet to learn how to play a song on my ukulele but there are still three months left to complete that.  I’ll pull it out every now and then, pluck at it, and put it back.

So my list will probably look more like this (at the end of the year) 

[ ] learn to play a song on my ukulele

[x] participate in a race

[x] keep all of my receipts 

[ ] pay off my student loans

[x] hang out with family/friends once a week

[x] produce less waste/buy less plastic

Ok, so next year. I don’t have any concrete goals, yet. 

I’ll have "do a race” again, because I feel like that’s a good goal, and one I can check off. 

I’ll put something to do with my loans on there, whether I decide I want to try and pay off the last bit or whatever. 

As for the rest of them I’ll definitely need to brainstorm what I want. And it also depends on what the rest of this year bring me and inspires me to do. 

What are some of your goals this year, and have you hit them yet? 

My 2018 Goals

I know, I just bashed on New Years Resolutions last week, but it’s not setting goals that I have a problem with. It’s thinking that you can only do it for New Years and if you slip up once then you should just quit until next year. 

I first made “resolutions” two years ago. Last year I set separate goals for my personal and professional life, and this year I’m going to do the same.

So, without further ado, here are my 2018 goals!

PROFESSIONAL

+ create two new courses — I already know what I want them to be, and have started working on one, but the goal is to complete them and get them online for people to have.

+ create a workshop — I already have the concept of what I want it to be, it’s just a matter of putting my head down to finish creating it. And then (deep breathe) hold the workshop.

+ talk in front of an audience — Is anyone else shy? I’m really good behind a camera and a computer because I can think through and edit what I want to say. But when you’re in front of a crowd there’s no going back. 

+ expand my second channel — I started a second channel in 2017 (that was actually one of my goals), but this year I’m very excited to see it expand from just a vlog channel.

+ release new merch collection — You guys loved my FemmeHead shirts and totes, so I’m going to release more! I want to create a few new designs as well as offer more of the original design. 

+ 100,000 YouTube subscribers — Yup, the big One, Zero, Zero. I’m roughly around 37,000ish away from it. And I think I can do it! (But it’s never about the number of subscribers for me. It’s about who I’m actually able to help. It’s just been a fun little goal to set myself since I started on YouTube).

PERSONAL

+ learn to play a song on the uke — I bought a ukulele over a year ago, and while I’ve gone through phases of practicing I’ve never learned an entire song. 

+ participate in a race — I think this might become a yearly goal for me. I had the same goal last year and I ended up doing my first 5k, triathlon and marathon. Boom!

+ take myself on solo dates — There are places around town (the botanical garden comes to mind) where I’ve always wanted to go but haven’t because I didn’t have someone to go with. So now, I want to take myself on at least one solo date a month. 

+ keep all of my receipts — Yup, boring, but for accounting and tax purposes it would make it a lot easier if I had my paper receipts. (Thankfully a lot of my buying is done online). 

+ pay off my student loans — When I first graduated I made the goal of two years. And I was on track, but then I met a boy and had to rebalance my finances. Well, I’ve kept paying off more than what I owe and I’m down to just above $5,000. Can I pay that off this year? 

+ hang out with a family member and a friend once a week —spending time with those I love has taken more of a priority over this past year, and I’ve done such a great job I want to keep at it!

+ produce less waste/buy less plastic — When I first discovered the zero waste and minimalist lifestyles I did a great job of reducing the amount of waste I created. Well, so many freaking things come in plastic, and I want to make it a goal this year to cut down on plastic overall. 

What are some of your goals that you're most excited for this year? 

Don't Wait Until New Years to Change Your Habits

I am all for setting goals for the new year. But I think there are a lot of people that put so much weight into their “resolutions”, make them almost impossible to reach, and once they slip up, they think whelp I’ve failed, better go back to what I was doing before and wait until next year. 

I’m specifically thinking of people’s weight loss goals. There’s nothing wrong with setting this sort of resolution. But I think instead of saying I want to lose 20 pounds, you should make your goals other things that will get you there. Things like “This year I want to run a half marathon,” “This year I want to cut out processed foods 5 days a week,” “This year I want to pack my own lunches for work.” 

And going along with this, there is no reason you have to wait until January 1st to make the change. I am constantly setting resolutions for myself all year long. 

I’ve seen studies that say 8% of people keep their New Years Resolutions. Only 8%!

While I set my goals for the new year, I use those almost as intentions. I check in with them almost every month or two, but I set different goals for each month. 

I want people to approach goal setting, and New Years Resolutions differently. So many are setting themselves up for failure, and there’s no fun in that. 

It’s time to start approaching each month as a chance to make a change, each week and every day as a chance to make a positive change in our lives. 

The next part of the equation is the failure. It’s going to happen. It’s a real drag to try and be perfect. No one is. You’re going to fail and that’s just part of the process. But the trick is once you fail to think “Right, no big deal. My fresh start begins now.” 

There’s this place we go for Taco Tuesday, and a while ago the girl ringing us up started asking about being vegan (I asked for no cheese and she asked). She then went on to talk about how she tried to go vegan the previous summer, made it four days and then had some honey glazed almonds, and because she thought she had “failed” threw the whole goal out the window and went back to eating meat. 

You guys, we’ve got to cut ourselves some more slack than that! 

“Oh shoot, those had honey on them. I’ll remember that for next time, but I’m going to continue my journey into veganism.” 

I want to try incorporating running, yoga and weight lifting this winter. Ideally, I would like to get into the habit of doing something each day. But when I miss a day do I just give up completely? No way! 

Setting big goals are great, but grant yourself some wiggle room. 

What are some exciting goals you've set for yourself this year?

My 2017 Summer Goals

Seeing that summer is almost here, I thought it might be helpful to set a few summer goals for myself. I know you’re supposed to focus on setting actual tasks that can be ticked off a list, but I’ve realized quite a few of mine are more over arching themes. 

And I’m OK with that. 

ONE — spend more time being active outside

Over the winter, when I was home, I got pretty good at doing my 2 p.m. yoga session in my living room. But now that is is beautiful out I love finding ways to do my daily physical activity outside. 

This means going and riding my bike and my long board. As well as going on walks and maybe even a run (jog) every now and then. 

TWO — take advantage of nice weather, and appreciating it

I know this one connects itself to number one on my list. But, I spend so much time in the cold months cooped up inside because I just really dislike the cold. But now that it’s warm out, I need to get into the habit of taking myself outside to enjoy the weather I spent so many months wishing for. 

Sunshine and blue skies feed my soul. This can be as simple as sitting in hammocks, going on walks and going camping. 

THREE — get back into journaling, meditation and yoga.

When things got a bit crazy last month a few things had to give way to what had to get done. Unfortunately it was these things that I know have such an incredible impact on my overall well-being. 

Before we went to Bali I was doing a daily meditation and it was great. 

While in Bali I did a ton of yoga and my body felt great. I even came home thinking I might want to get my teacher training done. 

And up until last month I was consistently journaling every single morning.

All things I enjoy, and all things I want to get back into the habit of. 

FOUR — read more

Once again, normally I am always reading, but I didn’t have time to do it last month. 

I’m going to put together a summer reading list and start knocking it out. Summer is a great time to read books. Grab a blanket, grab a hammock, get outside and read. Not to mention reading before bed instead of being on your computer or phone. 

The current book I’m working my way through is actually one I’ve had on my bookshelf for a few months. “The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth"

FIVE —  start a second FemmeHead channel

This is a tangible step. One I know I’m already going to do. I want a place to share more behind the scenes life vlogs and videos. 

And to be honest. It might even have happened by the time this goes up. 

SIX — more time with family and friends

I’ve been doing a good job at this so far this year, but it’s one that I want to keep up on. Since quitting my job in January I have found that I spend quite a bit of my time alone, at home, working. Which is great, it is where I am most productive and focused. But this also means I need to put more effort into that time outside of work, and fill it up with social interaction, or I start to go a bit batty. 

SEVEN — drink more fluids (a never ending goal)

Do I even have to go through the benefits? [better complexion, digestion, energy, everything]. 

I’m really good at drinking my coffee every morning. But rubbish at drinking water. 

Spicy foods really helps. As well as making sure you have a glass or some sort of container of water near you at all times. 

EIGHT — eat more fresh fruits and vegetables

This is one of those things that is easy and natural. These are the things I crave. But winter can be a time of comfort, of seeking out warmth. 

But as the seasons grow warmer it is not only easier to find fresh fruits and vegetables, but that's what I find myself gravitating towards anyways. 

In the end these are all pretty simple, achievable goal themes for the summer. But I find that taking the time to sit down, think through what I want to accomplish, and write it all down helps guide me through my daily activities.