New Year, New Goals
--
Every time a new year rolls around there’s a part of me that gets so excited. A new year means a fresh start for me. I can look back at the past year and know it’s behind me. Sometimes looking back I’m pleased with my progress. Other times there were heartaches, stresses, and tribulations that I can reflect on, brush my hands off figuratively, and move forward.
For the past ten years I have stopped making ‘resolutions’, and instead made yearly goals. To me the word resolution is strict and unwavering. If I were to make a resolution, and in the first week of the year stumble, then I always felt like I was done. With goals, I can work towards them and change them as I see fit.
Making Goals
When I sit down to make my goals, first I have to look back on the past year. What worked? What didn’t? Was there something that held me back? What do I need to change in order to hopefully hit those goals?
Last year I did okay. I didn’t hit all my goals, but I did move forward in certain categories.
My main goals last year were:
Write every day
Increase the amount of side hustle income each month
Cook more meals so I eat better and save money
Pick one project a month to try out
Harvest more out of the garden so I can start canning.
How did I do? For the most part I failed miserably. But, I’m actually pleased with my progress. What I did do, is try my best to work towards those goals and not quit, and I didn’t.
The garden was a bust, but it was things out of my control. No matter what I did, the garden struggled this year. We did manage to get quite a bit of squash, some tomatoes, and a bunch of berries. I was able to can enough jam to get us through an entire year.
I was not able to start a new project every month, but I did do several. I made acrylic coasters, slate coasters, and a couple of holiday signs. I’m calling that a win since in the past I haven’t done anything.
The cooking was hit and miss. But, it’s a win because by the end of the year, we’ve nailed down where our struggles are and what works for us. I know that I need to once a week make three big batches…
