I decided I was no longer going to have “New Year Resolutions”. At least to not call them that. Instead, this year I made a list of 22 goals (so far…) that I would love to achieve by the end of the year. Things such as taking a cruise, saving a particular amount, reading 20 books and reducing my screen time. Once I finished panicking about how many dreams I’m putting on my shoulders this year, I remembered something I saw while mindlessly scrolling Instagram. The creator took her BIG goals she had for the year and broke them down into manageable goals for each month. I couldn’t imagine why I had never thought to do that considering I treat everything I do as a “When you give a mouse a cookie” type adventure.
So that’s just what I did. I took each of my goals, and broke them down month by month. Read 20 books -> goal of 2 per month. Walk 300 miles on my treadmill -> break it down starting smaller – 15 miles in January, working up to 30 in December. I always got overwhelmed by my resolutions, as I’m sure many people do. And if I didn’t make progress towards the goal in January, I gave up and felt like a failure.
But I’m refusing to feel that way this year. I’ve been so hard on myself for ages, never feeling like I live up to anyone’s expectations. It makes trying to raise two powerful girls feel impossible some days. But no more. This is the year for me. I’m done living by the guidelines of others. My broken-down goals are the way forward for me. I know I’m capable of most (if not all) of them. Some are stretch goals like bringing in an additional $5,000 this year on top of my salary. Others will probably be met in the first half of the year. I had a goal to squat 150 pounds and deadlift 100 pounds. My trainer and I already figured out I can squat 75 and deadlift 75, so I’ll have to reevaluate those goals pretty soon. I’ve already read 2 books and started a 3rd so I’ll probably exceed that goal (as long as I keep it up). Some goals will go together – read more, less screen time for example. This should help me achieve them.
What goals have you set for yourself this year? Have you considered making them into smaller chunks each month? Give it a try. We may not hit every overall goal this year, but consider how successful we will feel if we hit at least some of them.
Writing here more is also one of my goals this year. I will be sharing more, reaching out more, trying new things. If you feel like someone can connect with me, please share my blog. I’m hoping to turn it into something that people can turn to for a laugh, a smile, maybe a tear, and definitely advice on how to get through life.
Sunshine and HoneyBunch 