Goal Setting is nothing new for me. It is not a process I have perfected, but look forward to refining at the start of each new year. Last year I did not set finite goals for me to attain but rather my goal for the year was to implement more rest into my days. 2018 ended up being a year of unrest as a lot came our way that wasn’t anticipated.
The year started joyfully with beginning the adoption process and sharing in the journey with family and friends. The incredible outpouring of support filled our hearts with so much love + joy. It will never be forgotten. In the midst of starting our adoption journey, my father-in-laws health quickly down spiraled and we lost him well before our hearts were even ready. Over the next several months we spent weekends and nights at his home, 45 minutes away, going through it room by room. Filing away papers, reminiscing over family photos, throwing away old receipts and discovering beautiful family heirlooms and mounds of handwritten notes to and from family members. Our favorites were the collection of letters that my father-in-law had written to his parents while he was in Vietnam.
My husband spent most of his time at the home boxing up items and making repairs. He has been so strong and steadfast throughout this past year. I admire him greatly. More than I think he will ever know or understand.
Right before Christmas we were able to get my father-in-laws home on the market and it had a showing every single day. We were under contract within a week and it closes at the end of this month.
God has richly blessed us over this past year. It was not an easy year and will definitely go down in our married life as one of the hardest. But even with losing my father-in-law, losing my job unexpectedly and bouts of heavy anxieties, God has remained true, through it all, in every moment. Doors closed that needed to be closed and new ones have continuously opened that have been a blessing; more beautiful doors than the ones before. If there’s a door that you need to close this year, do it. God could be calling you to something greater that you don’t even know is around the corner because you’re keeping that door open. Life is short, and if you’re living your life chasing dreams that aren’t yours and things that aren’t life giving, then something needs to change. I have never looked forward to a year as much as I’m looking forward to 2019. This year is starting as a tabula rasa.
Every year I choose my one word for the year and this year my one word is:
RENEW : to give fresh life or strength to.
My favorite synonyms for this word are : restore, revive, reconstruct, rebuild, reinvigorate.
My prayer is that I focus on God breathing new life into this next year as He works to restore and rebuild all that has been taken away. To revive the joy that I’ve noticed being stripped away from me over the past few years due to stress and anxiety. I became a different person and never felt like myself, and because of God’s great grace, He pulled me out of sinking sand that seemed almost impossible to get out of, and has set my feet on solid ground. He is the giver and restorer of life. Not myself. Not anyone else. Only He can breathe new life into me + so the next year I will rest and take comfort in Him as he starts to renew.
With all that said, my goals for 2019 are:
HEALTH
- Complete 4 straight months of Whole30 starting January 2nd
- Run in 3 races (two 5ks, one 10k, one 15k)
- Daily Yoga
- Go to bed earlier + wake up earlier
LEARN
- Pull out my sewing machine + sew!
- Teach myself how to garden well
SALT RIDGE
- Website
- Finalize Branding
- Choose Packaging
- Pop-Up Shop
- Christmas Market
PERSONAL
- Go through Financial Peace University again, from my home, with Casey
- Get back to bi-weekly budget meetings with Casey
- Build a cabin in the mountains
- Turn off notifications on my phone (I have already started this + it has been so freeing!)
- Read 12 books (most of which were on my list last year that I didn’t get to)
- Implement a weekly routine for cleaning our home
- Live minimally (get rid of things we don’t need or use!)
SPIRITUAL
- Read the bible in a year
- Daily, morning quiet time
- Devotional with Casey at night
- Have a weekly Sabbath
FUN
- See Jeffrey Foucault in concert again
- Visit Asheville during Beer Week
- Enjoy live music more often
- Dinner on the beach twice a month in the Summer
- More visits with my sissy + her fam
- Sunday Suppers
JANUARY GOALS :
- Lead a group through Whole30
- Financial Peace University
- Run at least 3x a week
- Daily Yoga
- Read Eat & Run
Goal setting is life giving for me. It helps me to stay focused, causes me to learn new things about myself and to discover my God-given talents. Even if I don’t achieve all of the goals on my list for the year, I wouldn’t have achieved any had I not had them to begin with.
What are you most looking forward to in 2019? What are some of your goals for this year? I’d love to hear them!
