January Reflection + February Goals

If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you. – Les Brown

January was a good, productive month. I’m just about finished with perfecting a design for all of our Salt Ridge signs, I purchased my first power tools (this was more fun than I ever thought imaginable!) and we are currently finalizing our cabin plans for our getaway home in the mountains. I’m looking forward to all this month will bring and the newness in my one word for the year, “renew”.

The yoga hasn’t been daily, but I’ve done more than I ever have before. I’ve found that when I start my day with 15-30 minutes of yoga, then a hot cup of tea, this is my favorite way to wake up. Tea before coffee helps warm up my stomach in a gentle way, without having the acidity from coffee. I still drink coffee, but later in the morning, before lunch.

We did not start Financial Peace University again because we learned that our membership would need to be renewed ($100) in order to take the classes again. But, I did create a spreadsheet for the next two years, adding our goals for our baby steps. I geek out over this stuff and spent hours the last two weeks moving things around, adjusting our budget and getting excited over saving for our future and our children’s futures.

The important piece of goal setting to remember is that if you miss a goal for the month, it doesn’t mean you have failed. There is a lot you learn about yourself through the process and not attaining every goal allows you to tweak things and ask yourself what’s important for the next month.

With that said, my goals for February are:

• Read The Minimalist Home
• Increase running to 4x a week
• Yoga in the mornings
• Teach (remind) myself how to use a sewing machine (hopefully the years of middle school home-ec will come back to me!)
• Catch up on Bible Reading (I’m a little behind on this goal)
• Finalize Branding for Salt Ridge

This has been my favorite year for goal setting so far. I’m getting back to the core of what’s important to me and living a simpler, slower life. It makes my heart so happy to know that none of these goals are fast paced. They all have a simple slowness to them. Even in running, I have enjoyed breathing in the cool air and jogging as I listen to my current favorite podcast by Brooke McAlary, The Slow Home Podcast.