Search the Community

It's been....a year since I last checked in on my long-term goals here. Sooooo I have this super detailed system for tracking my life goals, which involves determining what areas of my life are most important to me, making sure my goals fit into those areas, breaking the goals down into actionable steps....it's a lot, but it works for me. These are the 6 categories I have in 2018, and here's a check-in on how the year is going. Here are my goals/plans for 2018, in order of priority: Healthy body * Complete 120 workouts (up from 104 last year) * Complete a nutrition quest in all challenges. * Find a mid-to-long term goal that motivates me (e.g. a skill to learn, a milestone to achieve, whatever it is I need) * Lose 10 pounds. (I'm super skeptical about this goal; more later.) Be happy * Keep reading lots of books! Let's read 30 this year! * Bike once a week * Reduce the number of old projects I have sitting around. Increased financial stability * Fully fund my IRA & 401(k). * Save as much as possible for a house. * Don't spend in any of my restricted categories (beauty, clothing, online writing classes, jewelry, decor). Community * Say yes to opportunities to meet new people. * Find ways to do what I like *with* other people, not just alone. * Set up the internship with Outreachy. Writing Community * Attend three local writing groups or classes. * Finish the cross-stitch projects for my Kickstarter. Work Life * Get comfortable at work. --- My current focus: Healthy Body / Be Happy 1. Go for a walk two nights a week. Why it's great: This quest hits a couple different goals. The only time I really lost weight was when I was walking a ton. My family frequently goes for walks in the evenings and I almost never join them, so this action will help me be closer to them as well. Why it's hard: I frequently am doing something when my family goes for a walk. I will need to make time in my schedule to accommodate these. 2. Salad lunch 3 days a week. Why it's great: As I realized when I was traveling this week, even though I often struggle to make exercise work when traveling, I could do a much better job of eating well when traveling (and, y'know, all the time). And we all know you can't outrun the fork (though lord, I am trying). Plus, eating better = feeling better. Why it's hard: Specifically, with the salad quest, I have struggled with eating out. I'm going to be home this whole month (not traveling yay!) so I should be able to prepare and keep the ingredients around for this. 3. Finish one of my cross-stitch projects. EDITED TO ADD BONUS QUEST: Design a second project. Why it's great: I will feel so happy when these are finished; they weigh on me constantly. It will feel amazing to send them to people and hear their reactions, plus it means I can do something productive while watching TV. Why it's hard: I'm not sure, but it's been a huge pain! I have really struggled to get started, though once I get started it's quick and easy to finish. 4. Work out twice this week; ride my bike once. Why it's great: I feel better when I work out more--less stiff, stronger, happier. And being on my bike makes me happy. Why it's hard: I'm out of practice on this--I've kept up the habit in terms of setting aside the time, though, so I think it'll be okay. BONUS: Take one fitness/exercise class. Why it's great: My job pays for it! I can try whatever I want! It will be great to try some new things and see if I'm inspired toward a more long-term goal. I am thinking of trying rock climbing, a ninja gym, dance classes, yoga, Feldenkrais, aerial classes....over time, of course. Not all of 'em right now. Just one for now. Why it's hard: I don't always like to leave my house. I am always late...and I hate being late. It's hard to choose which one to try. I want to keep the focus on finding things that make me happy. I always have other stuff going on aside from what's here, like a writing goal, or whatever--but I really want to focus on this challenge over my other goals this month. If I have spare time, I want to turn to this list and not my general list of goals. I want to interact with the forums more. I've lost a little faith in myself over the last few months because I haven't been able to keep up with my own goals. I've been setting goals that weren't honest or achievable, I failed to hit them, and then I felt bad about myself. It's time to build a strong foundation. I'm feeling pretty good about this quest. I like that it's small. I need to remember not to ask so much of myself that I can't complete it. I need to look at every goal I set and say to myself: If you take this challenge, you MUST succeed. Are you ready to do what it takes to get it done? And to honestly say yes or no. The only changes that matter are the ones I'm actually able to make, not the ones I wish I could make. EDITED TO ADD: I added workout twice/ride once as a quest and bumped the class down to a bonus class. I realized that I need to keep up on my workouts, but not having it in my challenge was feeling weird and off-kilter.