With Christmas right around the corner and all the excitement to look forward to - my family is coming to Chicago for the holidays! - I've already begun dedicating some thought toward my goals for the new year. I like to write and keep a list of goals to reference throughout the year; my approach is more gentle than prescriptive. Rather than put a time stamp on any one goal, I strive to be aware of what I am working toward personally and view 'resolutions' more of overarching life goals that I can work a little harder to than perhaps I already have been.
I am sure you all have very similar goals to mine! We all want to be healthier, happier, and overall keep improving ourselves. I pride myself on a positive approach to life, so reflecting on personal goals and thinking of new ones for the year ahead is something I look forward to every December. And, it's probably important to do this regardless of time of year. For the past few years, I've kept my articulated goals as a note in my phone I can check in on every now and then. I hope you will find inspiration and encouragement in some of my goals.
Without further ado and in no particular order:
50 books.
I set my goal for 2017 to read 40 books total, and I am currently working on 38. I typically set my goal at 50 books each year, so roughly a book per week in a year, but as I've been working in my career for the past year I find 50 is a bit less attainable than when I was in graduate school, for instance. But, I'm going to try 50 again in 2018, for old times' sake! Closer to January, I plan to post a reading-year-in-review and let you know how I fared.
Nourish relationships.
2017 was easily the best year of my life so far, in a lucky trend of chapters in my life which keep improving and getting better. I traveled, I had successes in my career, I made huge exciting decisions, and more. There were so many fun experiences this year, many involving dear friends. But I still felt that I neglected my friendships in the sense that my plate was too full! I don't regret anything that happened this year; I just wished for more time and energy to dedicate to friends. I know I am not alone in this phase of life, with amazing things happening at a clip, where we often feel "it's been so long since I've seen you" or "I should really reach out to so-and-so". Balancing all aspects of your life is difficult, so overall, I would like to further pursue harmony in my friendships. And, to keep having positive relationships across the board - work, friends, and family.
Healthy diet and exercise.
The rarest of all resolutions :). I don't know a single person who would admit that this isn't something they are constantly trying to pursue. I'm guilty of the beloved 'comfort weight' - as my best friend so lovingly coined it - that packs on when you're in a happy relationship. Netflix and pizza is my idea of premium romance, don't you know? Factor in that we have a wedding date (!) roughly 18 months from now, and there is no excuse for me to not get into better shape! I would say this goal is equal parts vanity and health. I have a generally nutritious diet, but would also like to feel more comfortable in a bikini. Related to this goal, I set a ghost resolution every year it seems to run a half-marathon. Just do it, right? Er, we'll leave that one off the table and strive for baby steps...
50 rejections.
No, no, we haven't turned the 'self-loathing' corner quite yet. Hear me out. A friend sent me a short article about an award-winning novelist who set a goal for herself to submit her writing enough times (and more) to get rejected 50 times. I LOVE this philosophy. So many authors I admire, whether famous writers in interviews or personal friends who are writers, abide by the knowledge that it takes a mountain of perseverance to pursue this passion. Roxane Gay tweeted recently about how she worked hard, for a very long time, with zero recognition, before she 'made it'. While I was proud to have submitted one of my short stories to multiple publications this year, I still want to really up my game. This goal goes hand in hand with writing more in general.
Fill another journal.
Related to the above: I am approximately 20 written pages away from finishing a journal that I've been writing in since...March 2012. Yep, when I first moved to Chicago. I have several lovely, gorgeous journals that I've been given as gifts that have just been sitting blank on a shelf. My journaling philosophy for 2017 was to write something I was grateful for each day, and write down all the things I want to remember.
Wake up earlier.
I'm a smelly, grouchy goblin of a woman every. Single. Morning. Will I ever be a morning person? Nay. But can I be better? Yay. Also, I am always trying to be a better partner to my fiancée, it will be nice to do my part in the AM and be less of a creature. I'm amazed that he, without fail, wakes up cheerful and 100% his wonderful self every morning. Me? I'm usually full Jenny around 10AM-11AM, well after when I've gotten to work.
DEBT.
Related to my "debt free by 30" series, my debt will always be a huge goal each year until it's gone. Factor in that I am now planning a wedding, and the debt puzzle gets a smidge more complicated. But I've made significant progress in 2017, and am hoping 2018 will be another leap of progress. I paid off one education loan this year, and have set my eyes on my only 2 remaining debts: graduate school loan and credit card. Regretfully, I've definitely ordered in food and spent too much on Christmas presents this year. But there's no time like the 'present' to refresh my debt-repayment approach :)
Plan a wedding.
My fiancée and I booked our venue and have a date! We will be getting married in spring of 2019, which is a good while away, but plenty of time to plan a wedding frugally and sensibly. Throughout the entire process, we want to be realistic and keep our eyes on the prize: marriage. A wedding is one day - and really, more a party for your loved ones than anything - and we want to keep striving toward the heart of it, which is our lifelong commitment to each other. I think this healthy perspective, while still enjoying the fun, material aspects of putting together a wedding, will be a great approach! My Dad gave us one piece of amazing advice as soon as we got engaged - Never forget how you feel about each other in that moment. Neither of us wants to fall into the trap of the wedding becoming the most important part of our life. We've already felt a bit of stress - probably me more than anyone - that comes with the excitement and questions that flood in as soon as you get engaged. But the perspective is key!
An unworried heart.
And finally, the largest goal of them all. If I ever describe myself, I am a positive, happy person. We all have our down moments, moments of stress and sadness, but something I've learned about myself this year is that I can get overly anxious about the most mundane things. It's a lesson learned again and again. I've always been like this; I am a sensitive person and usually if I sleep on it, I wake up with normal, fresh perspective. At the end of the day, the things I have stressed about or overly worried about this year ended up perfectly fine. And if they weren't fine, I learned and moved on. What's the old adage? Worry gives a small thing a big shadow? Or worry never climbed a hill, worry never paid the bill? I will never be perfect, but I am going to work on keeping this mindset more in 2018.
So there you go! A somewhat exhaustive outlook on 2018. After such a truly incredibly year, I'm not sure how life can get any better, yet I am so fortunate that it keeps proving me wrong. I hope you all work positively on whatever goals you have, none too small, and cheers to a better year ahead!
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