It took weeks for me to figure out my 2019 goals. I had to really think about what it is I hope to accomplish. The person I wanted to be a year ago is not the same as the person I aim to become now. Some priorities have shifted, and some goals I previously saw as unattainable are now aspirations I think I can make happen if I commit to them. 2018 has been wonderful for us. We bought a house and grew our family, and all my attention and energy went toward that. In 2019 I hope to refocus some of that attention on my own goals outside of motherhood and marriage. While family will always come first, I have career and self-development goals that are also important to me. With that in mind, I’m sharing my 2019 goals in hopes of inspiring some of your own. I hope you’ll share your goals or guiding words with me in the comments!
Make fitness a priority again and run two half-marathons. I want to bring back fitness posts, which have taken a hiatus in the past year during pregnancy and afterward. I want my energy back and I’d love to not be out of breath when I walk up the stairs while holding the baby or carrying laundry. Also, working out has always helped relieve my anxiety. This goal is more about committing to my health and fitness, and then using that newfound energy to meet my career and family goals.
Replenish our savings. I saved in 2018, but a lot of it went toward replacing the lost income I had from taking maternity leave, which was unpaid besides short-term disability payments. I want to increase our savings and set aside separate funds for becoming self-employed. I also want to explore new avenues of making money.
Travel to a new place as a family. Iceland, Seattle, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas are on my wish list, but we are still discussing possibilities for travel in 2019. Our travel plans all depend on my husband’s work schedule and on a major decision we just made, which I’ll share later. (We also have a wedding in Virginia.)
Sell photography services/prints. I have always loved photography, and I’d like to do more of it. I’m not trained professionally on it, but I have learned a lot from workshops, classes and watching tutorials. I recently had a collaboration in which I was hired to shoot video and photos for marketing materials, and I really enjoyed it. I want to do more of that in addition to selling prints of my photographs.
Blog consistently and pursue sponsorships with brands I love. In 2018 I nearly tripled my blogging income, something I am proud to have accomplished. I want to continue that growth while doing something that brings me joy. I would like to double my blogging/editing income this year while continuing to partner with brands that I think readers would like or benefit from.
Those are my main goals, but I’ll be thinking about other self-care and career goals, too. What are your 2019 goals?
My Guiding Word/Word of the Year
Abundance.
This word has come up a lot lately, which I’m taking as a sign that I need to refocus on this mindset vs. on scarcity. I’ve been focusing on the money and energy traveling outward instead of the abundance heading my way. It’s not just about money, either. I put so much of my focus on time I don’t have instead of maximizing the time I do have each day. 2019 is about changing my perspective in that way.
Do you set a word of the year? What did you choose for 2019? How did you do on your 2018 goals?
