It’s tempting this time of year to double down and decide that we’re going to call our mom daily (hi mom!), work out every single day, and never eat sugar again. And this is why most New Year’s resolutions either (a) don’t get started, because why bother failing again? or (b) start out strong for about 13 days and then crash and burn.
The good intentions that propel us to discern what could make our lives more fulfilling also push us over the edge of trying to take on too much. We get excited by the idea of the person we want to become. We see ourselves overcoming our fear of public speaking and getting adulation from the crowd, or finishing the LSAT with really strong numbers. But what we don’t see is the trudge. The ridiculously painful, long, boring day in and day out stuff that actually turns into the foundation, scaffolding and last step of the achievement.
When we make goals or New Years resolutions, we often don’t think of the everyday trudge. But, that’s the foundation to achieving the goal.
I had just that experience for the last 12 months. I made a ridiculous goal of being able to do the splits. I had some vague notion that it would be hard but not “hard-hard“ and that if I could do the splits, it would mean that I was healthy everywhere else. It was like the splits were my canary in the coal mine (which sounds morbid … but you know what I mean right?) So, I started on my trudge: every night, 15 minutes of hip opening yoga. That wasn’t producing the results I wanted so I bought online courses, but still nothing. I took yoga classes, I went to a rolfer, and did 3 hour yoga intensives.
In about 6 months, I stalled out at like 4 inches off the ground. No progress in the next few months. Nada. Zip. I added in some crazy myofascial torture pain that called itself a massage. The last three months were painful trials of persistence. I kept track of my nightly stretching. My record for the year is 93% consistency of doing stretching for a minimum of 10 minutes. Ninety-three percent. That’s 340 nights this year that I spent stretching for 15 minutes or 3,400 minutes, over business trips, illnesses and lazy weekends. My wallet will never be the same again after the yoga intensives, thai yoga, the rolfer, the online classes, etc. I could have funded a small deep sea exploration submarine for the investment in those hips and my (foolish?) goal.
So did I reach my goal? Is this an inspiring tale of triumph or a fizzle of four inches? Below is a photo that shows some of my progress. The answer is technically … sort of? I did reach my goal (yay, high fives all around) but there’s zero chance I can hit the floor without an hour+ of yoga in a warm room to ensure my muscles are limber and stretchy. So, it’s a draw. When you’re setting goals for this year, start where you’re at and be realistic in your goal-setting.
While I did make some progress, all my stretching and classes did not result in being able to do the splits without an insane amount of prep.
My goals last year were centered around family time, physical (in this case, the splits), diet (no sugar), daily movement and continual learning (reading). From these yearly goals, came my quarterly goals and monthly goals and then weekly goals and finally daily goals. Goals become the North Star, the guiding light, for your entire year. They affect how you plan your day, your week and your entire life. They affect who you hang out with, how your spend your time and how you spend your money.
Because of this, making goals can feel daunting. Sometimes, it’s easier to figure out where you want to go personally and professionally in 3 to 5 years and then work backwards. For example, do you see yourself married with kids? Do you see yourself leading a team of people doing interesting and inspiring work? Do you see yourself walking across a stage with a diploma in hand? All of those visions mean different goals for 2017.
I categorize my goals into different categories including business goals, personal goals and family goals.
I’ve thought a lot about what I want to commit to for 2017 versus what is realistic for me to commit to in 2017. I am coalescing around personal goals, work goals and family goals. Some personal goals include:
- Twenty minutes of uplifting reading and/or planning per day.
- Three stretch sessions per week.
- Read 55 books.
- Actively improve myself by participating in a Mastermind Group of female entrepreneurs worldwide with a formal mentorship program.
Family goals for 2017 include:
- Two family trips.
- Continue saving for Lily & Jamisen’s college (note: this will get a specific number once we’re done with family budgets for the year)
- Research and save for a new (used) car for myself.
- Research schooling and childcare options for Jamisen and Lily.
Business goals for 2017 include:
- Run 4 fitness/nutrition challenges with Best Day Ever.
- Expand the wholesale line for Best Day Ever.
- Do a face-lift on Bramble Berry’s brand (design new brand, roll it out, upgrade marketing plan)
- Develop a bulk / large customer program tailored to unique needs of larger businesses
There are more goals for each category, but those are the top four. Each one of them has a purpose that will help get the business, my family and my personal life to the 10 year plans and working them consistently – daily – will help get to that next level of stability and success. It takes planning, but it’s worth it! Are you inspired? Do you feel daunted? Work on your own goals for the year; write them down and post them below. Let’s inspire and accountability ourselves to our best futures.
I’d love to sweeten the planning incentives by picking 3 comments to win some planning & soaping goodies: We have chosen the winners! They are Sherry, Ami and Andrea. Thanks to everyone who entered, we loved reading your goals for 2017.
– An Entry to the Best Day Ever January 16 Fitness & Nutrition Challenge + Paper Best Day Ever 42 Day Journal
– Bundle of Best Day Ever planning goodies (Best Day Ever Mug, Notepad – Official Listmaker + Notepad – Daily Scheduler)
My main goal (or our family’s main goal, rather) for this year is to finish our financial recovery process of my VERY unexpected job loss in Sept 2015, so that we can *hopefully* begin 2018 with a new baby on the way. My husband and I each have 8 year old boys (4 months apart!) and all 4 of us want to add a little girl to our family. (And if it’s another boy, that will be fine too. I will just start making them clean their own tee-tee off the OUTSIDE of the toilet bowl bc I am OVER that part of living with males. Lol) Another major personal goal is to finish my last year of the Bachelor’s degree I took a hiatus from when my brother died almost 6 years ago, and get started on my MBA. I currently work part time selling jewelry for a very popular national retailer, and I sell my handmade bath and body goodies when I can but I usually end up giving away more than I sell bc if someone doesn’t have the money to buy or is unsure about anythIng I make, I still want them to have the opportunity to try it so they will see that they love it and will help get the word out. Lol However, adjusting to a part-time income after coming from a full time job where I made $70K a year hurt us drastically, and we are currently in the process of replenishing our retirement and other savings accounts that we had to pull from in order to get by. My husband is starting a new job in two weeks that is going to give him a $25K annual increase in pay from what he is currently earning, and my in-laws currently own a vape shop where they live and are getting ready to open another one here, and they want me to run it for them since they live 2 hours away. I am extremely excited about this opportunity bc I will be handling every aspect of our local store as I work on my degrees, and so it will help me tremendously when my husband and I are ready to open our store bc my husband will continue to work with the DoD, while I run OUR business. Our business is more of our 2-year plan but our 2017 resolutions should be great leaps in helping us get to our final end game. One last personal resolution of mine is to get in with ALL of Alabama’s county school systems and work as a volunteer, whether it be in each high school or online, teaching our high school seniors about credit management and budgeting. I am not sure if the schools in other states teach these but ours in Alabama do not, and it absolutely infuriates me. I worked in personal lending at a local credit union for 11 years and you would not believe how many people I counseled on how to manage their credit, who had CHILDREN who were old enough to begin building credit. Of course, you have a few who just don’t want to pay the bills that they acquire bc they don’t care, but I would venture to say that 90% of the people I counseled were just never taught, and so they made very honest mistakes bc they simply did not know any better. I have since worked as a financial advisor but did not find myself as passionate about investing as I am about credit management. (Although investing is a HUGE part of responsible credit management.) I currently volunteer my services for both, and I have quite a few of my credit union members (they are still mine. Lol they became family to me) who still contact me on my cell for financial/credit advice on a regular basis. Because I am so passionate about credit, finances, and insurance (I have every insurance license for my state), I want to eventually begin my own (small) financial consulting and insurance brokerage business, because with all of the knowledge I have attained over the years, I know that I have the capability to help so many more people than those I am already working with. And if any of you reading this have questions regarding credit management or financial decisions, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Although I can’t answer insurance questions for any state other than Alabama, I would love to see if I can help y’all in any other way! And to Anne-Marie, I may be able to save you a bit of time and headaches with your used car research bc I have financed and refinanced so many vehicles over the years, and I can tell you that when buying used cars, Hondas and Toyotas (and their luxury counterparts, Acura and Lexus) are the way to go because they hold their value better than any other cars on the road, and they are built to last. My first car was a 1990 Honda Accord and it had over 350K miles on it when my dad made me sell it because the ORIGINAL motor was going out in it. I have bought one vehicle since then that was not a Honda or Acura and I HATED IT. And it was made even worse by the fact that I was paying double payments for over a year and the value was still dropping faster than my loan balance. I finally got it low enough and took a loss on the rest and traded it for a new Acura, which was the best vehicle buying decision I ever made bc after 9 months of paying payments (with the negative equity I brought into the deal) the balance was well below the value of the car, so when my husband and I decided we needed an SUV more than that sporty little Acura, I was able to trade it for a brand new Honda Pilot, bringing over $3K in equity that they applied to lower the price of the Pilot, after only driving the Acura for 2.5 years. Just a little advice based on my personal experience and seeing many others have similar experiences. 🙂
Wow; you have a LOT going on. First of all, congratulations on expanding your family (or at least the desire to do so). I hope you have a little girl. There is some interesting studies done around pH and timing that is covered here: http://howtoconceivea-girl.com/how-to-get-pregnant-with-a-girl-using-inexpensive-techniques that you might find helpful as you work towards that goal.
I like that you are so clear on the finances portion of your life and what needs to happen there. You have a lot that you could do with your passions and your family connections with their shop so it might be hard to settle on one of them.
Thank you for the offer to help on the car situation! I’ve heard equally great stories about Toyotas for sure!
My goals need to be simple this year.
1. Take care of myself (physically, mentally and emotionally) while helping my husband battle cancer.
2. Ask for help even if it’s uncomfortable.
3. Finish 3 quilting projects that have been started (I have about a dozen started but not finished).
4. No matter how good or how bad my day has been, find something to be grateful for and write it down.
Wow, you have a lot on your plate. Linking up 1 and 2 is one way that you can help take care of yourself as you are a caretaker to your husband. The gratitude journal is a fantastic idea as well because you are right, there are bound to be both good and bad days ahead. Sending you lots of good thoughts and energy for the year ahead.
Well, my plan for 2017 includes retiring from my teaching career at the end of June, so my goal is to find other roles/jobs that are meaningful in different ways than teaching. I don’t really have a plan, but I have a few ideas that I would like to pursue. I’m hoping to do some volunteering, spend more time helping my elderly mom (whom I’m realizing lately needs a lot more of my attention) and possibly some part time jobs.
I’m hoping to also have more time for my hobbies, especially soap making!
And I’d like to continue to work on my health and fitness, so I will be joining Anne-Marie’s January challenge. I’ve realized that I need the motivation of the group challenge to stick with things. I’ve definitely slipped during the holidays.
My children are now 19 and 21 and although I will always be “mom”, I find that they don’t really need me that much anymore, so that’s another role that is changing.
It will be a year of reinventing myself. It should be an interesting year!
Yay! So happy that you’ll be in the challenge! It’s going to be fun and I’m excited to lead and participate myself. I always notice a jump in energy and mood when I’m able to focus on sleeping, eating right and daily movement and interaction.
Congratulations on retiring. I love that you’re thinking about how to keep active and involved, even in retirement. The gift of health is a good base to start with.
As a mom of a severely autistic son every year resolution (for the last 10 years) has been some version of the same, try a new therapy, a new program, a new school, new supplement… blah, blah, blah. Somehow it has been always about the same, my New Years resolution has been to make him “less him”. This year for a change the resolution is not to do anything and once and for all start enjoying HIM and all the wonderful things he has brought to my life. That is my resolution for the New Year, just to sit down and smell the roses!!
Wow, that’s a great resolution! Good luck and enjoy!
Good thread! Thanks Anne-Marie. Got me to thinking:
So here goes:
1. Manage work hours better
2 prioritize myself and my health
3. Regular exercise again
4. Drop the sugar
5. Soap more consistently and develop “my” formula
6. Spend more time with my husband
I have signed up for the 21 day vegan challenge with PCRM(physician committee for responsible medicine), so that should help me along dropping sugar
I am signed up for 2 triathlons, so hoping that will get me off the couch.
Still working in the other goals and how to implement those.
My goals for 2017 are pretty simple, but they are so important to me. I have so much that I need to work on. I plan to start small so that I don’t stress myself out, which I do so easily.
Personal:
1) stop putting myself down so much.
2) go back to eating mostly vegetarian and get back down to my prepregnancy weight.
3) get exercise at least 4 times per week, even if I just walk.
Family:
1) show more appreciation for my husband.
2) spend more time with my kids.
3) have family fun day once a week.
4) find a better place to live and get a car.
Financial:
1) save as much money as possible
2) rebuild our credit so that we can buy a home instead of rent.
3) start savings accounts for the kids’ college.
4) start my business
Business goals: 10 new active wholesale clients. Double my income.
Personal goal: I’ve been working on getting my Mayflower Society membership. I’m like to finish the process this year.
Family goal: Weekly game nights.
Thank you for your inspiration, Anne-Marie! For 2017 I plan to add more curiosity, humor, love, and silliness into my life. I plan to do this by giving (or doing) 1 fun gift/thing for a friend/family member each week, run 1-mile backward, learn to ride a unicycle, and take dance lessons with my husband.
Anne-Marie, I’m so inspired by you! I’m working on split right now 😜 lol nah, thank you for the inspiration, enlightenment, and motivation💚 this year my top personal goals include:
• drink more water daily and eat cleaner
• move more, workout daily, get back into my yoga
• make more me time, meditate , learn new hobby, plan!
Top family priority:
• more trips to the park, beach, and more activities and sports; family fun at least weekly. Research local mommy and me!
• decluttering and funk shway of each room in home
• get little man into his own bed, and eventually in room (don’t judge)
Business venture goal:
•network and market my product; create and explore!
• take more classes, work toward master herbal.
• work toward exceptional time management and organizational skills
These are just a few of each category. Thank you again, for helping a procrastinator like myself to see and list some goals (: good vibes 💚
Happy New Year!
Good luck with those splits. They were a bigger goal than I ever thought they would be! =)
Your goals are totally solid. I’ve found that the meditation thing for me is easier with either a program (an app like the Oprah/Deepak one) and/or a sand timer to physically be able to open my eyes and see where I’m at with the meditation (rather than flipping on the phone if I’m having a realllllly hard time focusing).
You will totally sleep better with little man in his own bed and I’m betting you’ll get lots of morning and evening snuggles. They grow up so fast so it’s great that you’ve been making sure to get quality time as he’s been little. =)
Master herbalist certification is a huge deal. I have two friends doing it right now and it sounds so helpful and, intense!
Here’s to a great 2017 for us all!
Thanks doll!💚
I’m going to start with stretching and just work my way into one (;
I’ll definitely check out an app, never thought of that!
💙 indeed, love baby cuddles the mostest!
Intense for sure, but interesting and maybe one day rewarding!
Thanks again (: Blessings and prosperity!!
Ann Marie, you have really got me thinking! My initial take away regarding your “ridiculous goal” was to really think through my goals to make sure they were truly worth it. But after chatting with my husband and really chewing on this post, I’m truly inspired to take on something seemingly ridiculous. Think of all of the unintended good consequences that were achieved and everything exercised by achieving your goal. Persistence, endurance, discipline to stay the course. I think I will make that ridiculous goal (Boston Qualify by 5 minutes) after all and your dedication to achieve your goal will definitely be a model for me. Thanks again!
I am a listmaker, but I’ve gotten away from it this last year because I really haven’t wanted to face my realities.
My first goal is to get back to writing lists (which I’ve already begun). If I can see it, I can work with it and won’t forget/ignore it.
The rest of my goals have micro-goals to achieve them:
*prioritize prayer and Bible-study
*prioritize quality time with my husband
*taking on extra money-making tasks
*pay down debt (if I can realistically pay it off in 2017, bonus!)
*eat better and lose weight (up to 40 lbs would be great, but starting with 20 might be achievable)
*give more
*take regular time on purpose to practice music
*and, of course soap more and expand to other bath and beauty projects.
I don’t usually wait until a new year to set goals, but here we are.
I love your goals for the year. Husband, daily devotional time and paying down debt? Those are all such good foundations for a joyful life. And, excellent job with the achievable, realistic goals too. It’s super smart of you to think about what is achievable to lose per month weight-wise. I can’t wait to hear how your year goes! =) I’ve been reading my goals daily to help me keep on track with them this year.
I’m still working on finalizing my goals but I really liked your point on your splits goal. I will definitely keep this in mind (as well as your other points )as I finalize mine for 2017. Thanks for sharing!
I like the 3 – 5 year plan – I can’t do daily goals as they make me anxious.
I plan on graduating from uni(5 years) continuing to grow and learn in all my hobbies (an hour a week at least for art, including soaping) and remembering to take time for me (half a day a week – after homework) where I concentrate on family, friends and pets rather than study. In 5 years I’d like a house (and bees!) and we work on little methods of saving, like watching our budget and eating out less often. I put time aside every week for volunteering – which isn’t a goal so much as a giving back thing that I commit to. I find it ambitious you and everyone else with your commitment, and your success is incredible. If I make myself do something every day I’ll end up loathing it and quitting!
Why wait ’til 2017? Get a few-days-head-start?
It is nice to see so many like-minded folks with bettering our health endeavors and disease prevention tactics. We have a moral obligation to our health. Or else … we are burdening someone else with the care of our own bodies. Sometimes, this is alright. And then we give ourselves grace and say thanks for those who love us. Many times, we can prevent disease through self-love – today. My goal for 2017 started on Winter Solstice with a little bit more light each day. My resolution? Self-love – every day. Everything else ripples out appropriately from there. Peace & light & health to all …
In 2016 I decided that it was time for me to take active steps toward retiring from my corporate job that, while interesting with good benefits and pay, requires a two hour commute and does not nurture who I am and want to become. Even at 63 (or maybe ESPECIALLY at 63), time with family, creative pursuits, and doing work that actually matters has become much more important.
I began creating plans to retire in Spring 2017 and thinking about how I might transition to a part time job and provide greater support for my husband’s website and my own budding soap business. Then, starting in September, my husband had two very freakish health events: a kidney cancer scare involving very serious surgery (was benign but there were post-operative complications), and on 11/12 he was hit by a car while he was getting the mail from the mailbox in front of our home. This caused horrible facial, oral, and other injuries. He is thankfully recovering and we have had many blessings around this event. Oh – lest I forget – to top off the year, while we were at a follow-up doctor visit, someone broke into our home and stole our emergency cash. Bah-da-boom.
So what does all THAT have to do with planning for 2017? Well, we are still focusing on my leaving the full time corporate world. After these events, which have dramatically highlighted how precious and fragile life can be, it is even more important to me to begin pursuing those things that I truly want to experience/do/create/understand. Throughout these events we have experienced the greatest love, sacrifice, kindness, and blessings from friends, family, and strangers. It seems to me it would be ungrateful if we do not let these experiences springboard us forward toward our hopes and dreams.
My first step for 2017 has been purchasing a lovely planner that is focused specifically on the creative business life. My next step is going to be a serious period of reflection on (1) what I truly want in life; (2) exactly how it would “look” if I were doing what I truly want to do with my life; (3) what short term steps can I take to move in that direction; and (4) what long term steps will move my vision forward.
I’m nervous, excited, hopeful about the future. I know, all to well, that life turns on a dime and we truly are not promised our next breath. It is so very important that we live intentionally each moment. I am so very grateful for the moments ahead!
I’m nervous/excited for you, too. It is really a blessing to take all these negatives and harsh realities and turn them into motivation to push yourself to a more ideal life. You’ve encouraged me more than you’ll know.
Sherry,
Hats off to you! I feel we are in similar circumstances. Two years ago, at 61, I made the scary move to retire from my corporate job. What was waiting for me was a small pension, a Dad with failing eyesight, after school grandma “duty,” a paid for home & car, some savings, some peace of mind (I hoped)/or at least burn-out relief. After family needs, I spend my time working on goals important to me and not one day do I wish I was back in the corporate world. Could write tons more, but need to head out to meet the school bus.
Best wishes to you!
Personal: Eating whole foods as much as I can, work on upping my step count, decluttering my life.
Business: Set up my own Etsy store (I now sell through my daughter’s), expand my natural line, start delegating less desirable tasks to others so that I can continue to grow the business without committing to more than I can actually do. Prepare for the day I can quit the day job and make this my only income.
Family: Keep in contact with family members who are distant to keep those bonds intact, prepare for a move closer to my daughter and grandbabies.
As a big fan and a young entrepreneur here, here are my plans for 2017
Personal
-to graduate from college
– at least 3 countries to visit
-increase my personal savings
– to receive an award from my department
-to be a dean’s lister
-buy ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS THING USING MY OWN MONEY
Family
– To treat my parents/ buy things that they want (1 for each)
-travel with them in Europe
-shopping with them in Tokyo, USA, Thailand, etc.
Business
-push my soap business to reality
-to learn new product variant that I could add to my store
-boost sales
Great post! Inspired me to start goal setting for 2017. Here are some initial ones:
Personal: Increase speed in my running so that I break 1:45 in the half marathon by fall, read at least 8 books, focus on appreciating what people do instead of resenting what they don’t do.
Family: Be more present when family is together (less iphone scrolling!), get on top of preparing and packing my daughter’s lunches ahead of time so the morning is less of a scramble.
Work: Improve desk organization and time management.
Well maybe if I ONLY read 55 books in 2017, I’d get a lot of other things done 😂
I want to get off the overtime-desired list for the April through September quarters (been working a lot of ten-hour days and while the paychecks are great, I’m exhausted), do milk testing with my small goat herd, have a garden, and condition enough (say at least 25 miles a week) to take a week’s camping trip in August without hurting myself or my horses. What I’d really like is to turn the clock back to when I was 25 and be able to do all of this with boundless energy.
AND still have enough energy for crafting… cardmaking, leatherwork, and now soaping…
2016 held opportunities for re-evaluating my perspective and my priorities regarding myself, my faith, my family, and my business. My desire is to carry this insight into 2017 and apply it effectively, consistently, and authentically. There are more, but I’m listing one goal here for each of the sectors of my life mentioned above:
MYSELF: Run/walk 2+ times each week.
MY FAITH: Begin each day with personal Bible study and prayer.
MY FAMILY: Schedule time to invest in each family member individually.
MY BUSINESS: Scale up production of bath soap and shaving soap.
My own personal goals for the coming year are:
Aim for 30 minutes of exercise every day.
Return to clean eating habits.
Increase my garden space and can/freeze more vegetables.
Improve my soap making skills.
Focus on my art work.
Enjoy my retirement.
This is so inspiring. My goals: start meditating more, move more, eat less sugar, make more soap, give more of my time, organize more, don’t sweat the small stuff & be happy.
I have always been a goal minded person, both in my grown-up job (pharmaceutical research) and my soap business. I am now approaching retirement in February (at least from grown-up job) and was more worried how I will structure my day (or whether I need/want to). As always, your blog made me think. I have always been a gardener, soaper, knitter/weaver, cook and will now formulate goals for my 1st year in 50 years to not have an 8-5 day. More homework from Anne Marie LOL. Looking so forward to BDE Challenge #3!
I’ve decided that I’ll no longer be referring to actual goals I have as resolutions…semantics I know, but I’m a very goal oriented person, and for some reason that’s never translated well to resolutions. So here are my ‘goals’ for the upcoming year:
1. I will get up at the same time every day and work on growing my business for a minimum of 4 hours, whether that means producing product, marketing, website maintenance, or attempting to get my line in local stores.
2. I will walk for exercise daily, at least to start with. I commit to starting slowly, maybe a mile, and work my way up to longer distances, adding cycling and/or running, or anything else that suits my fancy, as I begin to gain my aerobic ability back.
3. I will prepare healthy meals for myself and family, some in advance for those evenings when time and/or motivation tells me to order pizza! I commit to serving home prepared meals 4x a week, at the very minimum.
4. I will volunteer my time at least 2x a month to a variety of causes that I believe strongly in. I will also commit to bringing my child along whenever possible, to teach him the importance of giving back to those less fortunate.
5. I will do my very best to overcome my, at times paralysing, social anxiety.
6. I will start getting regular mani/pedis and hair highlights again. This likely looks selfish to an outsider, but in my previous, very successful, career I had an abundance of confidence and part of that was made manifest by my looking my best at all times!
7. I will learn every aspect of my business, and how to personally do all of it. I will commit to no longer being beholden to another to create web content, design labels, or build a soaping studio. I will learn to do all this and more, and see it come to fruition in 2017.
8. I will lead with love in every action I take, be it large or small. I will never respond or react to hateful, disrespectful, or disparaging words or actions with more of the same. I will never walk/drive by one in need and not offer help, no matter how inconvenient it may be for me. I will not stand silently by if I hear racist/misogynistic/bigoted/xenophobic/etc. comments. Remaining silent can be taken as complicity. Going forward my words and actions will directly reflect my beliefs.
9. I will set aside time each day where my child will have my undivided attention! My son will (hopefully, and to the very best of my ability) never again hear me say, ‘Not now’ or ‘Maybe later’.
10. Twice a month (more, if finances allow) my husband and I will have a date night. It matters very little to me what we spend that time doing, so long as it’s done together, just the two of us, and affords us the time to bond, and really connect with one another on a ‘spiritual’ level.
So, these are my goals for 2017. I have the utmost faith in my ability to turn these goals into realities! I have an incredible support system in my family, as well as some amazing, lifelong friends I’ve made throughout the Soapmaking community! I’ve no doubt that each and every one of these lovely and generous folks will not hesitate to remind me, strongly if need be, of my 2017 (and beyond) priorities!
(Sorry so long, but I felt it important to articulate specifically my goals, with nuance)
Love how are your goals are specific and measurable! Inspires me to re-write mine. Thanks!
I’m 65 years old and I have never set a “goal” for myself. Being a boomer and coming from a relatively poor family the only goal I was prepared for was being a wife and mother. With that said, and with a HUGE change in my personal life this year, (my husband decided he didn’t want to be married anymore) I believe that my “goal” will be to put in place goals for myself. I think it will help me to regain my self-esteem and give me something to do worthwhile and build self-confidence. Right now I am feeling really low and to have goals may help me see my self worth.
Kathy, putting some goals that are JUST FOR YOU in place will help you immensely. You have gone through a life-wrenching change and it is so important that you give yourself some time to process all that has happened. Going through a divorce is like going through a death and you and will feel all the same things. By setting some short term health goals (things like getting adequate rest each day, eating healthy foods, getting in some physical activity), you will see an immediate lift in your overall spirits. Make space in your life to create something each day – whether it is a new recipe, a new soap, new arrangement to furniture, writing in a journal, ANYTHING that lets the creative part of you OUT OUT OUT will help as well. Know that people are thinking of you and sending prayers and best wishes your way. Hugs!
Wow, that is a big change. I am sorry that your husband dropped such a bombshell on you and that you are rebuilding your life. That sounds tough. It’s hard to stay mentally focused and physically well during such a tumultuous time. Two books that come to mind for you to explore to support you during this time are “Excuse me, Your Life is Waiting” by Lynn Grabhorn and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. Both of them are excellent at bringing you out of your day-to-day and pulling you slowly and steadily towards your best future and, thinking in the now and the present (rather than the past). I wish you the best and hope that after 2017 is over that you find yourself in a much better place mentally, physically and financially. This will happen through your goal setting and your hard work. You can do this! XXOO
I am so proud of you for keeping your chin up and moving forward! Just wanted to mention that you should treat yourself to things that make you feel good, it is so important to keep your spirit up and to feel good about yourself. Read self developement books and have fun. Volunteer for a special cause that touches you. This is such a special time in your life! You will be awesome and I know you will find others that will help get you through this tough time! Also, remember to surround yourself with positive people! Good luck, I know you are strong and will create a wonderful life!
Wow – so many great responses. This year and I’m defiantly trying to have more realistic goals.
My work related goals are to get more companies involved in our work boot discount program. Apply again to be a Nike and Under Armor dealer. Be more positive with the way work is going and with the other employees.
My personal goals are to be healthier and eat more veggies (without ranch hah). Do more of what I want when I want but also be a nicer person. And, after researching soaping for about 6 months now and 5 batches under my belt I would like to start making more soaps in the hopes that I might have a farmers market table! Very excited for this new hobby / possible small money opportunity.
I’ve never ready had a set new year goals list but this year is different. Here’s what I have so far. I’ll be adjusting it and possibly adding to it the more I think about it.
New year resolutions
1. Be more patient with my family
2. Explore more
3. Be healthier
4. Be stronger
5. Weight 160 lbs
6. Meet new people
7. Smile more
8. Read at least two non required books
9. Learn to make bath bombs
10. Make at least two batches of cold process soap
11. Spent a lot more time outside with my kids.
12. Have my own income of no less than $500 a month.
13. Get certified as dance with Jessica fitness instructor.
Literally copy and pasted from my notes on my phone 🙂
Five years ago I started running and lost 60 pounds. I felt great. Well life happens and after some stressful times with my aging mom and inlaws, grown kids moving and doing things like getting married, and having several injuries, I’ve gained back 40 pounds and feel pretty awful. This year I’d like to get back to a healthy weight, which means taking off about 30 pounds. I’d like to stick to a new exercise routine since running is not possible right due to a foot injury. I’ve joined the Y and started attending some of the water classes. I’d like to be more disciplined with my Bible reading time, reading something each day. I want to become certified as a soap maker and teacher by the end of 2017. And I’d like to help one person smile every day.
My goals in 2017 would be to eat healthier, exercise more, worry less, organize my stuff ( ie: get rid of a lot) , and be more mindful. I often feel stressed, worry way too much and feel like I’m always one step ahead of myself rather than living in the moment. I blame the internet for a lot of my distraction so another goal I have is to limit my time on line and cherish those around me more.
I have been inspired by your motivation and what you offer to others. Making soap and other beauty products has really given me a better way to handle my emotional stress. My friend introduced me to soap making and I really appreciate her. I do feel like I have accomplished a lot towards the end of this year. Finally have my own brand name and sold some soaps, along with other things.
Business: Get certified in an IT cert required to move up the ladder. Prosper in my soap and beauty making products. Learn better ways of selling my products. Plan to start another degree.
Family: Continue to save money for my sons college, he’s three. 🙂 Take a trip overseas to meet other family members and embrace his ethnic culture. Keep educating/trying new activities.
Personal: Stay consist with getting into shape, losing at least 10-15lbs. Hike/explore more. Learn more with soap making designs, and using/understanding more natural earth grown items that can benefit our skin.
Nice work saving for your son’s college. You and I are on the same wavelength there! We’ve already started the process in a small way too =) I think you definitely can lose 10-15 pounds if you marry that personal goal with your hiking and exploring goal. Those two go hand in hand. Your career goal is solid and practical and increases your knowledge base. That continual learning is awesome and investing in yourself is always your best investment. Here’s to a great 2017!
Business Goal: Continue to expand my duties and responsibilities at my job that I love. Hopefully my salary will continue to climb as I live alone and I am trying to support myself financially. Another goal is to make bath products to sell for supplemental income.
Family Goal: I’m still loving my only child who is 16 years old and watching him growing up to be in the medical or science field. At my current age, I hope to live to see him graduate from medical school 10-12 years from now!
Personal Goal: Keeping on doing what I love: soapmaking, jewelrymaking, fashion sewing, and healthy cooking! I wish to take more art workshops. I also plan to go back to school to get a Master’s degree in the fall of 2017. Buy a house again is one of my goals.
I have been putting this off for a long time and what better time then now. My goals for 2017:
Business: Organize, Plan and more planning.
I find that I’m always planning at the last minute. I want to plan out at least 6 months of craft shows and holidays a lot better. I also want to be happy with my labels and stop changing them. I always keep in my head that they can be better and I keep changing them.
Personal & Family: Be at peace with where I am in life. I’ve accomplished a lot but I always think I should be doing more. Continue to raise my daughter according to my abilities and not others.
Better organize my ideas and crafts. There is so much in my head and I don’t know what to do with it all.
Typing it all out sounds like a lot and that’s when I stall. I do realize that all these goals go back to by business goal of organizing and planning.
I have so many goals that it is hard to just pick one. I am glad that all of them tie into one another in one way or another……..if that makes any sense hehe.
I am a business owner of my company called Zen-Sational Gifts… <—Artisan/Hand Crafted Jewelry and Spa Items (hand crafted/handmade, lotions, sugar scrubs, bath bomb fizzies and many more items being added this new year).
I currently use Bramble Berry as my main company to create my spa items.
My goals this year is to broaden my business base by getting my brand out there more in ways of advertising and more vendor/craft fairs. I also know i need to shape my Etsy store a little more than I already am. I already launched domestic and international shipping but now i need to know the age old answer to the question: "what is it that people want?" .
I also need to be more positive and less discouraged in myself because I know the talent is there, I just need to give myself some more credit. 😉
HAPPY 2017!!!
2017 Goals….. Get my procrastination in check (2017 starts in 4 days so I am well on my way!)
But really…for myself I want to increase the greens and decrease the browns (veggies vs meats) and actually wear my fit bit instead of tossing it in my drawer when I fail to reach my step goal for the day. And that leads to a daily walk or jog etc…..
For the family…. I would like to be more appreciative of the spouse without him becoming suspicious! Spend more time with the extended family.
For my home….organize that deep dark lair I call a basement and return it to its former glory of being a nice work space.
And finally…start taking bigger steps to merging my hobbies into an actual business plan.
My soap goal for this year is to try working with new additives to my soaps. I want to try new recipes using salt. And want to try my hand at salt bars and herbs in soaps. My personal goal for the year is to organize my life a bit more. I need to declutter and make decisions on what is really important. I’ve started the declutter this week -My pantry and spice cabinet. I’ve decided to chunk away at small locations. I.e. A cabinet, a closet. I feel this will be more manageable than just tackling the whole kitchen at once. So far it’s working!
Business Goal:take killer pictures of my products and get my website up and running. Become more than craft shows!
Family Goal: plan trips for hubby and I to visit the grandchildren that we’ve only seen once, each.
Personal goal:study my Bible more and get new revelation.
Embark on my first milk cp soaps
Take a trip out of the country
Write and edit another novel
Do three craft fairs
Start a website and be less daunted by Twitter 🙂
Run 2 miles 3 times a week
My motto this year is going to be “healthy, fit and organised,” although organised should be in first position, because I think from well planning the rest will follow. Of course provided you stick with it. Following your above advice I’m keeping my goals realistic and hopefully achievable. To plan and achieve my goals I bought a Tools4Wisdom planner (thanks for the tip!) and to keep me organised during the day I bought another planner I found on Kickstarter that will fit my needs. To become fitter, my goal is fairly simple. Both my dog and I have put on a few pounds this year, so we’re doing daily walks aiming for a good hour a day. Being organised and getting fit should also help my last part of my motto: being healthy. Organising my day will reduce my stress and chaos and give me more me- and family-time. Getting fit will help me with my physical health. In addition I also have some smaller goals such as drinking more water, cutting out sugar and additives, clean eating and preparing some meals ahead of times. My work goals: more courses this year and finally setting up a blog. I love reading your advice and tips! My next steps before the new year will be writing up my goals into quarterly and monthly mini goals. Thanks!
Business goal: finalize my brand and get online instead of just at craft fairs. Time to get to blogging more and get that website up too!
Personal goal: learn more about tribal fusion belly dance so I can add that to my teaching repertoire.
Family goal: spend some concrete time helping my daughters pursue their passions (gymnastics for one and writing for the other).
These are all about our passions. Hopefully we’ll all feel even more fulfilled this time next year! Welcome 2017!
I actually have many goals this year. Some are very big and some are small.
My first goal is to learn how to make cupcake soaps. For which I have an order for this Spring.
Second, this is a biggie, to have my house sold and move from ND to AZ. From there I want to expand my soap making business and have my daughter move home from college.
I started my weight loss goal a few months ago, down 25 pounds! I don’t have a set goal for this, just to maintain a steady weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.
Currently I am craft fair worthy. I plan to upgrade my logo and packaging to be more store worthy. Made a plan for next year to market more. Enlisting help of others and to not be afraid to admit I am not good at everything. Examine media options.
2017 Goals: Graduate college, move to Minneapolis, be happy, and successful.
Business Goals –
Make a production Calendar and stick to it!
Get my shrink wrap equipment so I can sell to bigger stores
Reformat my labeling to suit shrink wrap
Save up to go to the Soap Conference in 2018
Personal Goals –
Go to bed earlier so getting up to exercise isn’t a struggle.
Spend more time in the garden
Spend more time on knitting (instead of late evenings staring at the tv)
Simple stuff, but self care was lacking this year. Patience was starting to wear thin, so I start with the basics to get back on track.
Oh goodness I am a goal person just like you! So far my goals are as follows:
Business: Start selling. I have been making soap for many, many months and researching in for two years now. While I do love my soap, I get slightly nervous when it comes to actually asking money for my soap. This year my plan is to open an Etsy shop and go from there!
Personal: Read two books per month, fiction or non fiction. This can be slightly daunting given I have three children age five and under constantly needing me.
Family: Focus on getting three craft days in per week, make dinner from scratch 13 out of 14 days per week, and read to my children every night. (I have been known to skip a night or two per week)
Fitness: Continue on my weight loss and health journey (I have lost 45lbs this year) and reach my goal weight. Add weight training into my weekly workout.
Financial: Continue to focus on building savings so we can work towards purchasing a home of our own.
Now.. to break them down into mini goals!
Those are great goals. I think everyone gets nervous about asking for money for their soap – it’s such an intensely personal thing. I remember feeling guilty for getting paid money for something I really liked to do.
Your goals of reading books, creativity and dinner from scratch and reading to the kiddos. Those are all super goals – very admirable. I’m impressed with your consistency with your weight loss this year thus far. You really have been making amazing progress so I have no doubt that you will rock all of your goals. Reading to your kids every night + making dinner from scratch almost every day? That is inspiring.
Can I just copy yours? Haha, You are so inspiring to many people and I love that you share this. Thank you!
LOL! Thank you. That’s kind of you to say. I can’t wait to hear/read/see what you come up with! It’s going to be awesome. Planning is 50% of the battle …
I did it I signed up for your 42 day challenge I need that push! I keep saying I want to go raw vegan! I want to Make it happen! I am super excited and I shared your Facebook page Best Day Ever for anyone looking for inspiration for their New Years Resolutions 🙂
I have never really done personal goals. I do them at work to check a box. I am a newbie to the soap world. I think this blog is great advice. So, I am going sit down and actually write out goals for the first time. I have so much to learn about the soap business so this will really help me focus on what’s important. A couple of my goals will be to make soap at least once a week to really get the experience I need to take this a step forward. Another will be to really study the proper way to sell, market, and label my soap. This will include reading at least 15 books on this subject. And finally, I will put together a budget for my soap business. Thanks for encouraging me!!
My goals this year: Personal- is to lose more weight, remodel parts of the house myself, and take more family trips. Business-move completely out of the house into a building on my property. Increase inventory, change packaging and add new products. I lost sight of things when I stopped writing notes.
My Business goals for 2017:
Plan more & write it down
Focus more on my Brand
Decide what products I will consistently carry, and which ones I will discontinue.
Revamp recipes and my product labels.
I haven’t done my goals in writing yet as I am babysitting my grandson this week. The one thing I have decided to do in 2017 for myself is to buy an inexpensive flower bouquet every time I do grocery shopping! Beats waiting for someone else to read my mind and surprize me with flowers :)!
I love that. Way to make make yourself happy; because you can totally be your own superhero =)