Looking ahead into 2018: some encouragement on goal setting

This week was kind of bittersweet for me.   The kids went back to school and I felt torn.  

I truly enjoy this new phase and I had a lot of fun with the kids over vacation.  We hung out all day in our pajamas watching TV and cuddling. A spontaneous adventure was so much fun with these travel bugs. And we are at that stage where they can do their thing and I can get my things done.  We really are in a sweet spot!  Weston ended up getting a really bad cold/or the flu bug (not really sure which one), but that took up the whole week and we ended up not getting to do some of the fun things I had planned (super sad face right now).

The other side of me was totally doing a happy dance.   There are things I specifically don't get to do when these kiddos are home.  One of them being a peaceful Target run where no one is hanging off the carts or insisting we go down the Lego isle.  The other being, sitting down, having a quiet lunch and focusing on my goals for 2018, uninterrupted.

So, Monday, I celebrated (just a little) by heading Hobby Lobby to spend a gift card that has been screaming "spend me!!!" and treat myself to my favorite salad at Panera and sit in peace so I could focus on the upcoming year.  I brought along my Bible Study and started with that, because I definitely seek God first before I started making any goals.  I've been reading through the study Restless, by Jennie Allen with some wonderful women at my church and this week, as I poured through the section entitled "Passions," I couldn't help but think how fitting it was as I was getting ready to contemplate 2018. 

So the first thing I did was make a list of the things that truly make my heart happy. These are the things that energize me and get me excited to crawl out of bed in the morning.  The things things that came to mind for me were:

• Creating
• Gathering
• Adventuring

So, this year, as I sat there in a booth all by myself, I made goals based on these three main passions and some things that have been stirring in my heart lately. So here are my goals for 2018.

1. Slow down.  I can't make room for creative things if I am too busy, and the past year has been a bit busy, so this year, I am going to say no to some things so I can say yes to other things.  
2. Finish projects.  I have a list of some projects that just need to be finished.  So, this year, I am working on finishing those things and hopefully starting some new ones! 
3. Grow.  A big thing for me is learning new things.  By slowing down I am making more time to get into Scripture and read more.  I am also going to challenge myself to learning new baking skills over the next year.  One way I'm going to attempt that is by  participating in King Arthur Flour's monthly bake-a-long (remember the star bread?  Bring on more fun things like that!).  
4. Find adventures.  Take advantage of little get-a-ways and day trips with my people.  
5. Gather.  Continue in getting together with my mom friends on a regular basis and creating opportunities for women in my neighborhood to get together. 

So, there they are.  Now I've done it and made them public so you have to hold me accountable.  See what I did there?  Ha ha. 

Anyways, I've set my goals and now I've got to some work done.  The slowing down one is the biggest challenge.  But, I know that when I get too busy, I stop enjoying things and we can't have that.  Busyness steals my joy and makes me cranky.  We can't have that. 

So here are some of my tips for goal making:

• Don't make so many that you feel like you are drowning in a list.  
• Don't make them impossible.  
• Share them with a friend or a spouse.  Accountability is key.  Each year, my husband and I compile a list of things we want/hope to accomplish over the course of the next 12 months.  Then, we get together and share and see where ours overlap.  It is so much fun to see what happens with that list at the end of the year.  
• Write them down in a place where you won't lose them and can see on a regular basis.  I keep mine in my journal (and obviously here!), but there's a spot for them in my planner that I filled in, too.  Type it up and post it somewhere.  If you don't check it every now and then, you will forget all about it.
• Don't get discouraged if you don't accomplish all of them.  These are goals, not resolutions.  These are things you want to grow in, to accomplish.  They may bring about change, but they aren't there to change you. 
• Also, remember that it takes close to a month to make something a habit.  Practice, Practice, Practice.  
• Make a point to check back every month/quarter and see how you are doing, what you are struggling with, or if you need to revamp your list.  
• Be flexible.  By making goals, we are not declaring this is how the year is going to go.  We can't tell the future.  Things come up and sometimes those things are unexpected.  Just keep trying.  

Did you set goals this year?  Post one of yours in the comments and let's keep each other accountable!