2017: Making Moves | 2016 Recap Plus Goal-Setting Tips

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Graham and I set an intention every year, and every year we have been amazed by how it comes true. 2015 was the year of adventure. 2016 was the year of growth. And now 2017 will be about health and success. Our version of success is to be business owners and work for ourselves. We’ve already made headway: Step 1 was paying off nearly all of our debt in 2016. I am grateful and proud that we accomplished that. Step 2 is to make the necessary investments and build up our wealth. It’s scary. It’s exciting. It will probably take some time, but if we go for it, we could be living our dream in early 2018 — or sooner! Of course, to get there we need to make small steps to better ourselves. Breaking down that intention further, here are my 2017 goals:

2017 Goals:

Run a marathon. I missed the lottery for the 2017 Chicago Marathon, so I will wait to see which marathon seems like the best option. I would love to cheer for the Chicago runners or volunteer, though.
Build up our savings for both emergency funds and a long-awaited international trip we’d like to take.
Make investments into our future business.
Go on an international trip as well as several trips out of state (road trips, visiting family and more). I’m thinking Orlando, Minneapolis, New York City and Seattle.
Take video editing and photography classes.
Volunteer at least once every quarter.

Whenever I set new goals I like to look back at what I have just accomplished. 2016 was the year of growth, and we certainly did that in every aspect of our lives. Graham and I progressed in our skills, we added a little one to our household and we each accomplished personal goals.

2016 highlights:

We traveled to Costa Rica, New Orleans and Michigan, and we visited family in Phoenix and Louisville several times.
I ran the Chicago Marathon.
We watched the Cubs’ journey to the World Series and rode in the victory parade!
We brought Victoria home.
We celebrated our second anniversary.
I was promoted at my full-time job!

Books to motivate you in 2017**:

Most of the books I like to read are autobiographies and self-improvement works. My favorites of the year:

Tips to set your 2017 goals:

It’s OK and great to be inspired by others, but don’t feel like you need to set 20 goals for the year because you saw someone else do it. It’s perfectly fine to set one goal or to set many. It’s also OK to break down larger goals into smaller ones. More tips from my post on setting goals:

Brainstorm and Analyze.
Create lists of what motivates you, want you desire out of life, etc.
Write down words that describe your priorities. Ideas: Friendship, love, money, music, strength, confidence, generosity, admiration, nature, laughter, comfort, travel, family. Identify the areas that are most important and use them to guide your goals.

Ask yourself: What do you want your life to look like? What are your passions?
Write down what you want to achieve. If it helps, break the goals down into categories for different parts of your life. (Career, health, personal, etc.)
Ask yourself why you want to achieve a certain goal? What’s the underlying desire?
What resources can you list to help you achieve your goal? (Trainer, friends, books, classes, etc.) Write them down.
What investments (of time or money or anything else) do you need to make? Identify them.

Dream big but make more realistic short-term goals to work toward that big goal.
Try to find a middle ground between setting too easy of a goal and too unattainable.
Leave fear out of the goal-setting process. It has no place in it.
Leave judgment out of goal-setting. You might be worried about what people think. Put your own thoughts of why you want to achieve the goal above all other opinions.
Do you have a goal that you think it’s too late for? Repeat this: It’s not too late! Write down reasons and ways it can still be achieved.

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” -Lemony Snicket

Be specific.

Write down exactly what you want (when, with whom, and how). The more specific you can be the better.

Start with one or two main goals. Once you have your main goal(s), you can break those down into smaller milestone goals.

Remind yourself of your goal(s) and your “why.”

Write them down and display them around your desk, bedside, in your wallet, etc.

Make a vision board or create a Pinterest board.

Set reminders on your phone of your goals.

Share them with friends or on social media.

Surround yourself with people with a similar goal(s).

Meditate or pray about that goal.

Schedule time for your goals.

Break your goals down to smaller goals and plan out when you can work toward each goal.

Ask yourself: What small steps can I take today to bring me closer to achieving my goal? What can I do each week? Make working toward your goals a part of your daily to-do list.

What’s a realistic timetable for achieving your goal? Write down due dates.

Practice single-tasking. For each day or each week, consider focusing on just one goal. Focus all of your energy on it until it’s accomplished, then move on to another goal/milestone.

Observe the changes/Hold yourself accountable.

Measure your success. This is why I check in with myself with my monthly goals. Where did you fall short and can you break that goal down even further into smaller steps?
Celebrate your successes and don’t beat yourself up about the failures. Try again. Adjust in areas where you didn’t hit your shorter-term goals, but keep working toward them.

Don’t compare yourself to others. This is YOUR journey.
When you’re feeling discouraged, think about times in your life that you overcame an obstacle. You can do this!

2016 races:

I ran more than 500 miles in 2016. While I did not run as many miles as I did in 2015, I can forgive myself because the difference was 50 or fewer miles, and I had a hectic October and November that included bringing home a toddler. I managed to cut my half-marathon time and I completed my second marathon. I trained differently for my races and the hard work paid off.

My recaps:

Favorites for Fitness in 2017**

If, like me, you have fitness goals in 2017, you might be thinking about investing in workout attire. I’ve had my eye on new fitness gear in the hopes Santa would bring me some for Christmas. While he did bring me some amazing gifts, workout clothing was not one of them. I’m instead putting these on my upcoming birthday wish list:

C9 Champion Sweater Fleece Top in Vivid Violet