So, I really didn’t feel like doing my quarterly review of my yearly goals because I am definitely not accomplishing most of the goals I put on my list. Looking at it now, I realize how differently I looked at my life nine-and-a-half months ago. For example, I put three goals on this list specifically tied to losing weight. And now, it’s October, and I’m nowhere near the weight I thought I wanted to be at this time of the year. But I’m oddly at peace with my weight right now. I feel good, great even. But that’s a post for another time, and believe me, I plan on writing about it soon.
Anyway, even though I’m a little embarrassed to share this list, I stand by the process of setting and regularly evaluating yearly goals, so here we go:
1) Lose 30 lbs. Not complete. See above. 😉
2) Complete the Whole30. Not complete. It’s not going to happen this year, and I don’t feel bad about it. I don’t even know why I made this a goal because I’ve never been particularly interested in Whole30. Alas, it’s not a goal I’ll be marking complete now or in the near future. (But never say never, I guess.)
3) Cut out soda completely. Not complete. What can I say? I love soda and I don’t feel like cutting it out of my life completely. I am trying to cut down on the amount I drink, though.
4) Buy a new couch. Complete. Hooray! It arrives on November 1st and I cannot wait.
5) Complete a yearly shopping ban where I don’t buy any new clothes. Not complete. Well, I did pretty well for the first half of the year and fell apart in quarter three. I should have known – I’m more of a moderator than an abstainer, so a better goal would have been to give myself a certain dollar number to stay under.
6) Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store, Target, etc. Complete-ish. I’m probably doing this 50% of the time, so I could definitely do better.
7) Read 100 books, including four classics. Mostly complete. I’ve read 100 books and three classics. I’ll be reading my last classic during quarter four (most likely – The Catcher in the Rye).
8) Give up all dating apps for the entire year. Not complete. Oops, I added the dating apps back on my phone over the summer, and I definitely should have kept them off. Maybe I’ll commit to spending the last quarter of the year without dating apps?
9) Try something new once a month. Not complete. This was such a vague goal, so it’s no wonder I haven’t really completed it. Although, honestly, I’m sure if I were to look back on my year, I could pick out something new I did every month, even if it was something small like trying a different restaurant.
10) Start therapy. Complete. Yes, yes, yes!
11) Finish my novel. Not complete. Well, I’m going to attempt NaNoWriMo in November, so maybe I can mark this complete by the end of the year! Who knows?!
12) Figure out what my Enneagram type is. Not complete. I finally bought a book to learn all about the different types to figure out what mine is, so this is something I will complete by the end of the year.
13) Travel to one new state. Not complete. Doubtful that I will get to mark this one complete, but hey, maybe I’ll find a cheap flight somewhere and can take a weekend trip by the end of the year.
14) Exercise at least three times a week. In progress. Right now, my exercise of choice is walking and I’m definitely getting in some movement at least three times a week, but usually more than that.
15) Create a wedding album for my mom and stepdad. Complete. Finished this project over the summer and I was so happy to deliver the final product to my mom and stepdad. They loved it!
Did you set yearly goals?
It looks like you learned that you need concrete goals that aren’t absolutes (like banning things) – I say you learned a lot! And had great progress. I know I keep saying this, but I think it’s so great you are seeing a therapist (I think we all should, LOL).
I don’t set yearly goals. I tend to focus on things for a few months here and there, ha!
Seeing a therapist has been on my goals list for such a long time, and I am SO GLAD I finally made it happen. It has been better than I ever dreamed. I think everyone can benefit from therapy, even if you don’t suffer from anxiety or depression. It’s just nice to talk to someone for an hour and get feedback from a third party! If only it was more affordable, sigh.
That’s the challenge with setting yearly goal, especially many of them. There will always be things you set out to achieve that don’t make sense for some reason or another. I used to set annual goals but just 3-4 things that were core to who I am so not likely to change. Two were always related to running and reading. For the first time in many years, I did not set any goals because I knew that parenting would rock my world and that I wouldn’t know how my life would change. Initially I thought I would be racing again by the fall but wow was I wrong about that! So I am glad I didn’t set any running goals. I thought I would be running as I’ve watched several moms I’m friends with return to running within a couple of months. But I’ve come to realize that I can not compare myself to those who are running as most of the moms I know who returned to running either had a year of maternity leave since they are Canandian, they work from home (and have more flexibility in their schedule) or they don’t work a full-time corporate job. I probably sound like I am making excuses for myself but I’ve looked at my schedule and I do not know how I would fit running in between work, commuting and pumping! So I’m giving myself permission to take a long break from running until my schedule changes.
You are not making excuses, and I hope nobody has made you feel that way! We have a gym in our office building, as well as a really nice paved walking/running path nearby, and that’s the way most of the moms in my office get in their workouts – doing it on their lunch breaks. I’m not sure if you have that option (I’m assuming if you did, you’d be doing it because I know how much you love exercise!), but I don’t know where you’d fit in workouts into your already crazy schedule. You’re doing great, and you’ll get back to running shape when it makes sense with your life.
I am the worst at commenting lately. Booo.
I always love your check-in posts! I set yearly goals, too, but I am terrible about reviewing them 😡 I also find that the things I prioritize in January often change by the time October rolls around, you know?
I think this year, I’m going to try a different approach – maybe set fewer (but bigger) goals and make sure I put them somewhere so I can see them every day. Maybe that will encourage me to uh…actually accomplish them haha.
Thanks! I love setting yearly goals, so I don’t think I’ll ever give them up. And I also don’t set them knowing I’ll accomplish everything on the list. It’s fun to try to accomplish them, but I also think I can do a better job of setting more realistic goals. That’s something to think about for 2019!
Moderator here! Definitely do much better with “moderated” goals than with absolutes! Something to think about for future goal setting!
Totally hear you on the soda thing. I feel like I’m such a failure at “healthy living” because I am still addicted to Diet Coke. But I figure I do pretty well in other areas of my life, like food and exercise and work I love, so something has to kill me eventually. Might as well enjoy it, right? 😉
And, I can’t wait to hear more about your novel!
The difficult thing for me with yearly goals is that things change and my priorities shift and then when I don’t complete the goals I set out for myself, I feel frustrated. Or, in the case of this year, I’ll set out to run a bunch of miles and end up injured. I think I’m still trying to find the right balance between setting goals that I want to achieve in a year and also being kind enough to myself to let it go when they change. Cheers to you on all you’ve accomplished so far!