Setting goals each month last year was such a wonderful way to keep me motivated and give me things to look forward to. When you’re not in school anymore and there aren’t any obvious “milestones” to work towards, sometimes it helps to create your own just to make sure that you keep growing and changing. This year I decided to buy PowerSheets to help me with my goal-setting and I have been LOVING them so far. The prep work genuinely did help me clarify what mattered to me and what type of goals would make the biggest impact on my life. I am so excited about my 2020 goals and can’t wait to tackle them! In no particular order, here they are!
1. Make our home a safe haven and a launching pad
This is one of the goals I’m most excited about because I love home, and so does my husband. One of my pain points last year was that it felt like I was always cleaning, organizing, cooking, or running errands. My goal for this year is to
- Declutter + organize so that we have a strong base to work with
- Spend a little money on things that will have a big impact on its organization and loveliness
- Streamline our current cooking + cleaning systems
- Enjoy cooking more
- Make it comfortable for ourselves and any guests we might have
- Have home help us feel energized and prepared to go out into the world
2. Wholeheartedly engage with God
Lately, I’ve been convicted that much of my spiritual life is going through the expected motions but that I don’t engage God with my emotions. I may read my Bible every morning, but I rarely feel broken over my sin. I may listen to sermons every weekend, but I rarely meditate or stew on the Word of God. In short, this year I want to make strides in loving God with my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Obviously I will not have fully achieved this by the end of the year, but if at the end of the year I can say that I love + know God a little better than I did the year before, then I’ll count it a win.
3. Connect with loved ones
It’s now been a full year since we moved to D.C. and I haven’t been doing as great of a job staying connected to our loved ones out west as I had hoped. Instead of waiting for it to happen organically (spoiler alert, it doesn’t) I’m going to be proactive and set up systems to make it happen.
4. Strengthen my body
2020 is the year that I’m going to become a runner! I’ve always loved the idea of being a runner but have always hated running. No more, my friends! I want to strengthen myself physically and take care of this body that God has given me and running feels like the perfect place to start. I’m not sure what strengthening myself will look like for the whole year, but I know it starts with running.
5. Explore our neck of the woods
We live in one of the coolest places in the world and there is SO. MUCH. to see within just a short distance. Last year we didn’t get out and explore that much because we plan to be here for the long-term. There’s no rush to see it all at once! But this year I would like to do some more exploring so I’m aiming for a happy medium and trying to be more intentional with our calendar.
6. Be a keeper of memories
I’ve always felt that if I posted too much about myself online or had too many pictures of myself that people would think I was vain or full of myself. But that’s crazy because I LOVE seeing other people post about themselves and their families. I also love the idea of being able to look back at photos and notes through the years and being able to more clearly remember the things we cherished, the ways God met us, and the lessons we learned. This year I’m going to take more pictures and share more on social media (which also helps with my ‘Connect with Loved Ones’ goal!).
7. Deposit my words online
I love to write and derive a great amount of pleasure and knowledge from the experience. But for some reason, it can be so hard for me to justify the time it takes, and getting into the writing mindset can be so difficult. This year I hope to build some momentum by blogging regularly because I know it won’t be time I’ll regret spending. Working toward a specific number has always been motivating for me, so this year my goal is to publish 75 new posts. At just 1-2 posts a week, that’s just frequently enough that I’ll have to stay on top of it throughout the year but is still doable.
8. Build a local community
Adult friendships are tough, am I right? I’m the type of person that always waits for an extrovert to adopt me so I can have friends. We’ve been in D.C. a year now and that still hasn’t happened yet, so it looks like I’ll have to put in a little more leg work. I think community is so, so valuable, so this year I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and make some more friends.
