Happy Wednesday! We are a few weeks into Q2, which means it’s time to do a follow-up on the 2021 goals I set for myself. Here’s how it’s been going:
1) Buy a new sectional, coffee table, and area rug. The sectional has been purchased, and it’s one of my most favorite things ever. I’m hoping to buy the area rug and coffee table sometime in Q2 or Q3.
2) Work out three times a week. I need to do a better job at tracking this. I haven’t hit this goal every week of 2021, but I’d say maybe 60% of the time. I need to make it more of a priority in Q2!
3) Start the process of becoming vegetarian by cutting out red meat and pork and having one meatless day once a week. No progress made. I need to make a list of the red meat/pork that I eat on a regular basis and cut out a little at a time. (Because once I realized I’d have to give up pepperoni pizza, I wanted to cry.)
4) Become a regular water drinker. No progress made. UGH. Why is this such a hard thing for me to learn?!
5) Experiment with an elimination diet. No progress made. I really want to experiment with eliminating gluten very soon, as I continually have tummy troubles after eating subs and pasta and such. Wahhh.
6) Set a budget and be diligent about it. I’m doing pretty good with this goal, although I could definitely do better. But I’m following the budget I set for the most part; it’s just that sometimes I go overboard with shopping and have to rein myself in. A struggle we can all relate to, I know!
7) Save 20% of my income. In Q1, I saved around 13% of my income, which is mostly thanks to receiving my stimulus check and tax refund. This was a lofty goal, but it’s doable. Let’s hope I have an even higher percentage to report in Q2!
8) Complete the 2021 Unread Shelf Project. I am trucking along with this challenge, but having more DNFs than usual!
- January (a book with high expectations): American Royals by Katherine McGee (★★★☆☆)
- February (a book you got for free): The Cactus by Sarah Haywood (DNF)
- March (a book you bought on a trip): Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (DNF)
9) Read The Count of Monte Cristo. I am 45% done with this book! I am using the Serial Reader app, although I keep getting way behind on it (I’m currently 8 issues behind, eeks). It’s not that I’m not enjoying it because I really am—I’m surprised how much I love it, considering I’m not one who enjoys the classics—but it’s just not a habit for me to read my daily issue. But when I do jump back in, it’s easy to get sucked into the world of Edmond Dantes and his crazy life.
10) Finish the year with 35% of my books being by or about BIPOC or the LGBT community. I am crushing this goal, as 46% of my reads this year have been by or about BIPOC or the LGBT community.
11) Reach out to one friend a week. Ugh, I have not really been focused on this goal. I want to be better about reaching out, but it’s just not one of my skills. And sometimes it just feels vulnerable to be the one to reach out, especially to friends who don’t naturally reach out to me. But the only way to get better at something is to do it, right?
12) Start dating again. No progress made. I think once I’m fully vaccinated, I will feel more comfortable meeting people. And hey, what a great way to weed out the people I don’t want to date: vaccinated people only, thanksssss.
13) Work through one Bible study this year. I haven’t started anything yet, but I do have my eye on this Bible study that a trusted blogger recommended. We’ll see, though.
14) Get my third tattoo. Not yet, but soon! Once I’m fully vaccinated, it’s game on!
15) Stop drinking alcohol. So far, so good. I haven’t been in any social situations where I’ve been tempted, nor have I been on vacation where a fruity adult beverage always seems like a good idea! I have a lot of feelings about identifying as a non-drinker (good feelings!) that I may blog about soon. For now, I feel really good about not drinking and that’s all that matters.
How are your yearly goals going?
I had a goal to track my water intake this quarter and I never did it, either. Why is drinking water so hard? It’s boring, yes, but it’s completely non-offensive.
I didn’t really set goals for the year but have been setting them monthly and have done well so far. This month I am not hitting the workout 3x’s/week goal because of the weather but oh well. I could have done some indoor strength training but haven’t felt super motivated to find workouts. I am hoping to start the beach body 21 day fix once I get cleared by my PT though. And I think fitting exercise in Will be easier when I am back at work and will is in daycare. I am hoping to fit it in during lunch breaks 2-3 times/week!
What about making your own pizza with turkey pepperoni? Does that count as completing your goal? 😉
Going vegan is hard. We figured out we eat a lot of meals that are vegan without even trying but we also like our cheeses and deli meats, so… not sure I’d ever cut things out completely, but I feel that reducing your consumption is a good step in the right direction! Everything is moderation is my motto 🙂
As for the water drinking, what worked for me is starting the day with a 12 oz glass of water (before coffee or anything else) and then setting a timer to get up and pound another glass every 2 hours. It’s not fun, but it gets better and it’s more doable for me than trying to “sip” from a water bottle (I’d fill up the water bottle and it’ll sit on my desk untouched all day long LOL)
I think you’re doing a wonderful job on your goals! I think it’s challenging because we want to do something about ALL the goals ALL the time. It seems like you focused on some, got a lot done for those, and now you can move on to others!
I second San’s recommendation re: eating meat. Small steps first, maybe? Like one meatless meal / week? (You could do that meatless Monday thing!) Also, it does help to think of non-meat meals that you might eat regularly, or that you could modify slightly to make them meat free. Just a thought.
Oh, and on the water thing – I’m a gulper, not a sipper. So I will drink a big cup of water but it’s hard for me to just, well, sip on one throughout the day. Might help to try something similar?
Anyway – awesome job on these. Seriously. I’m dying to see your new tattoo when you get it – if you’re willing / able to share! 🙂