April was a month of uncertainty. There was so much unpredictability that it was making me anxious to the point where I was losing sleep. At the beginning of the month, we had no idea when we would have to move or where we would live. We had no idea how to pay for the move that is being forced upon us. (Our apartment building was sold and our units are being converted.) I had no idea whether I would be running a marathon this year. I didn’t know whether the family member dealing with addiction would get help. I had no idea what changes this year would bring for Graham and me (and I still don’t). I’m grateful that things became more clear by the end of April. That brought me a little more peace at night and has renewed my inspiration for the new month.
Before I get into my May goals, let’s check in with my previous goals.
April goal check-in
- Continue looking for freelance writing and editing work. I didn’t find any freelance work in April, but I also didn’t really look. I’m going to really focus on this in May. I’d like to also grow my own blog and newsletter. (Please sign up here!)
- Film one video for YouTube. Success! I filmed the Yoga & Mimosas event at the John Hancock Building in Chicago and our weekend in Kentucky for Thunder Over Louisville 2016, as well as a yoga video that will go live this week. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here.
- Stay on track with half-marathon training. Done! I ran about 50 miles in April and stayed on track with training. I also found out I’m running the Chicago Marathon in October. I didn’t complete the Orangetheory Marathon, but I helped out Care for Real, a food pantry in Edgewater (Chicago) that provides food, clothing and referrals to people in need. Read my half-marathon recaps.
- Adjust my diet to cut out more junk. Somewhat successful! Eating mostly healthy, unprocessed foods is harder than running a marathon! I ordered farm boxes, which helped me eat more vegetables. I have been following some fitness bloggers and vloggers who have helped me find healthy snack options. I plan to blog about this at some point.
- Continue saving and paying down debt. Any money I saved had to be used for moving and general life expenses that came up. We have paid down debt and plan to have an account paid off by June. I am also super close to paying off a student loan, and I can have the other paid off this year. It feels like it’s taken a million years.
May goals:
- Declutter a bit more, pack and move into our new apartment!
- Find freelance writing and editing work.
- Continue half-marathon/marathon training, and beat my previous half-marathon time at the Chicago Spring Half. I want to set a PR, but I don’t know if that’s realistic given my times during recent long runs.
- Limit personal spending to $50 a week.
- Grow my blog community and social media presence. Won’t you help a girl out?
- Live in the moment despite the anticipation of what’s to come. We have some big changes on the way, and I want to be able to enjoy the journey instead of letting stress kill my vibe.
What are your goals this month? Share them with me in the comments!
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Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.