I’ve done a lot of thinking about what my goals and intentions for 2019 are. I have had some pretty cool results from doing these lists of my goals and intentions for each year so far. I’ve done them since this post in 2016 so this is the fourth year I am actually sitting down and compiling a list of things I want to focus on. It’s really kinda weird how the simple act of writing things makes it easier to achieve your goals. Part of it, I think, is that it forces you to actually decide what you want to do. Instead of just thinking lofty thoughts about what you might do. I also think just seeing things in front of your face, whether it is words you write down or a vision board you look at every day, makes abstract concepts and thoughts easier to think about in real life terms.
Ever since I realized how fast life was speeding by, without me ever having accomplished any really noteworthy goals I have been trying to be super intentional with my life and time. And writing out and stating what I want for myself has been helpful so far.
If you have never taken the time to do it, I can’t recommend creating a vision board highly enough! I made mine a few years ago now and it is pretty crazy to already see a few of those goals and dreams on there having come true already! I’ve definitely had some new dreams and goals since then so I am going to update it really soon so I can see those new goals every day when I am working at my desk!
Of course, there is no arbitrary date or new year necessary to decide to change your life or try to attain new goals. But the new year just makes sense to me as a great time to evaluate things, see how last year went and set new intentions for the year ahead.
These are the things I want to focus on this year. Starting with my word for the year: Abundance!
This year I want to constantly focus on the concept of abundance and having an abundance mindset. In the self-development/self-help realm this concept is key and I am super convinced of how true it is. Even though I’m not that old or wise yet, in my life experience so far I have observed that the people who go the farthest seem to share a common mindset. That they can achieve any goal if the just work hard enough for it. And that there is plenty out there for everyone, and they are not concerned with people stealing a part of theirs. Whether that is opportunity, business or money. It goes hand in hand with an attitude of gratefulness for what they already have and what they know they will receive. It also seems to always be accompanied by a positive outlook, no self-pity allowed!
I am really intrigued by the concept of manifesting your dreams, and I think it is real. It’s probably a mix of things that make it work, but overall I think it does seem to work. So I am learning how to incorporate that kind of thinking into my daily life. My fave author Jen Sincero says probably 20 times in her book You are a Badass “What you focus on, you create more of.” So if you focus on lack (or not having things) you will create more lack. And if you focus on abundance, you will create more abundance in your life.
In a practical way, my focus on abundance will include me writing down my life and work goals as if they already exist and being thankful that they are a reality. I’ve been listening to the Rise Podcast by Rachel Hollis, and she talks about the daily habit that really changed her life and helped her achieve her goals. She wrote her 10 big life goals down every day as if they were already a reality. I followed the instructions she gave on how to do that and made my list of 10 big, preposterous dreams which I will write down every day. So far I’ve just done this in a normal journal, but I may get her Start Today journal when it comes back in stock in March! You know how they say, “act as if?” Well, it makes sense to me that when you act as if your goals are realized, you will start thinking and living in a way that will bring them to fruition naturally.
Even though I usually have one main self-development/character trait I focus on each year, there are two secondary ones that I really want to get better at this year too. Those are:
- Boundaries. This is something I am learning to be better at, and need to keep improving on this year. I suppose I am a bit of a people pleaser. And although I want to be Christ-like and a servant to others, I should only do that if I can authentically do it with joy and if it is what I should be focusing on in my life at the moment. There’s only so much time in the day, and even if something is a good thing, it might not be the right thing for me at the time. I can’t remember exactly who said this, I think it was Jen Sincero. To only say yes to what I can do in joy and no to anything that I would do with resentment. I think this is so important for everyone involved, myself and others. Because no one wants somebody to do something for them out of obligation or resentment. It isn’t fair to them either.
- Resilience. Last year really challenged me in this way. It felt like life kept kicking us down, with having the flood in our house happen and our cat’s leg getting injured back to back. Both those things were very stressful and super heavy and just as I was digging myself out of the frustration of the flood saying “Life won’t get me down! I won’t live in fear, I refuse! Life WILL get better, it will be good!” Then the leg injury happened. I know bad things will happen in life and it won’t always be good. And I need to keep punching back at life refusing to let it get me down and go to this place of giving up and being depressed. To always get back up, dust myself off and keep going! Sometimes those things feel like a punch in the gut and it makes me lose my breath and determination and sometimes I accept defeat. But I don’t want to do that. I want to keep getting back up over and over, refusing to let it get to me!
Personal habits that I believe will help me be more productive and accomplish what I want to in life:
- Wake up earlier. We don’t really have a “normal” schedule or lifestyle since I’m a homemaker/blogger and Chris has a flexible schedule and works at home frequently. So early for me won’t be 5 or 6 am. We tend to go to bed later and I wouldn’t get enough sleep. Recently my sweet spot has been getting up by 8-8:30, and I am trying to not go any later than that. So far it has been working well!
- Drink more water. I’ve always been the worst at this, but last year when I worked on it I had successfully made it a pretty consistent habit and really learned to enjoy drinking water. I used to hate the taste of just drinking plain water, so that was good progress! It was thrown off track during the flood stress but I will try to get back on that now.
- Start taking walks. I have NEVER been good about getting exercise. I’m not that sedentary either though since I walk around my house a ton doing lots of things when I’m not sitting writing. But I know I need to move my body more and I decided that walking is the most realistic place to start. I always say I can’t wait to have a dog cuz it will force me to get outside every day and take a walk and that sounds really great. But I obviously don’t NEED a dog yet to start this habit. I’m going to wait just a few months until I have a really good routine down with my bigger priorities. Then I think I can be more intentional about this.
- Read through the bible. I’ve been raised in the church my whole life and went to bible college. But I don’t think I’ve ever actually read through the entire Bible. I always start to do it and end up quitting before I ever get all the way through. Since I think it’s super important to be very familiar with the book that is so central to my faith, I wanted to prioritize that this year. I am doing a read through the bible in a year reading plan on the YouVersion app which so far has been pretty great. I tried the one that did it in 90 days before, and that was way too ambitious. It was too much reading each day and I felt like I was rushing through it to get it done without really absorbing it. This one seems much better. My goal this time is to just read it at face value without reading any commentary any anything on it. I want to just absorb it as an individual coming to the bible and reading it in my own understanding. I plan on doing it many more times in the future with different focuses, but that is mine this time around. The only thing I am doing is writing down any questions that arise so that I can look into them.
- Blog goals. I have a lot of big plans for my blog and growth for this year. This year I am actually going to prioritize it though, and not let life throw me off track! The reason I failed at this before is that I put myself last, instead of first. Now I am carving out daily time to work on my blog first each day, and fit my other responsibilities around it. As a homemaker, that has been something I never felt like I could do. Kind of like if I am around and can do other things, I should. But I had this epiphany that I could never hope to make it my career and future if I don’t show up for it as people do to their jobs. And that it’s ok for me to show up to it first, and then fit the rest of life and chores around it. I’ve been super liberated by this mindset shift. I assume a lot of other homemakers or stay at home/work at home moms face this same struggle!
- Daily Gratitude. I am already pretty conscious at keeping the things I am thankful for at the forefront of my mind. But I am interested in cultivating the habit of starting or ending the day writing down a daily gratitude. Looking into apps for my iPhone to make this quick and simple!
- Figure out a consistent cleaning routine that works best for me. Right now I am trying to figure out if house cleaning in one big chunk or a little bit each day is right for me. Going to experiment a bit with this until I find the best fit for the way I function best. My goal is to have a clean house all the time without putting my own work and goals on hold to achieve this. You know how they say a task will expand to fit the time it has? That has been totally true for me. Because I am at home all the time and technically have the time, I feel like I should be cleaning all the time. The problem is it seems like there is never a “good enough” to this. So I just clean all the time, it never feels “done”. I want to find a better balance on this!
Like I posted about recently, being involved in and supporting animal rescue is a top priority for me. I am SO anxious to be able to start fostering cats again but right now I need to focus on my little Chessie Boy with his leg injury and his physical therapy which is pretty intensive. Also, he is currently occupying the extra room we have to put fosters in. So when he is all healed up I will start doing that again!
So yeah, that’s what I have for my main goals this year! Just a few things, right? Haha. But seriously, I believe if I focus on them and keep checking back in with myself on how I am doing I think I can make tons of progress!! Do you have a word for the year, goal or intention you have set for yourself? I’d love to hear what it is! 🙂