My Goals for 2018

I totally realize that it's more than half way through the month of January, but it's never too late to talk about goals, right?! 

I ordered Lara Casey's Powersheets Goal Planner this year to help organize my thoughts, goals, and most of all, to help me break it down. I don't know about you, but goals can be down right scary sometimes. They are overwhelming, can seem unattainable, and sometimes are just dreams! The big picture can seem like you're biting off way more than you can chew. But by breaking it down to step-by-step actions, it makes those goals way less scary.

For instance, last years goal was to pay off my debts. At first that goal was so overwhelming. It seemed like a huge mountain to climb and I didn't think I could ever do it. I looked at that large sum total and it seemed completely unattainable.

So I did it little by little. I made small steps: weekly and monthly goals, balance transfers for zero percent interest, etc. Instead of looking at that large sum, I looked at paying little sums each month, and it made it seem so much easier. Next thing I knew by the end of the year, I had paid off half of the debt AND paid off my car! WOO! And I won't lie, it felt pretty darn good. 

I would never have been able to do it without breaking it down. And to help keep me accountable, I'm going to share some of them with you today.

1. Continuing to pay off my debts. I'm half way there! Getting closer every month. This year is going to be a tougher one, with our upcoming wedding, but still doable. I make monthly goals for myself and just keep moving forward. That's all I really can do!

2. Update & simplify my branding & creative process. Last year, I really focused on streamlining my wedding invitation process. And it has made doing invitations SO much easier. I have it down to a science and I don't forget as many details. It took a while to get there, but it was definitely worth it. And this year, I want to do the same for my branding and creative process. It will help me communicate with clients and provide an even better service based on less emails and paperwork, and more service and creativity, which is what my clients are really paying me for! 

3. Get Healthy. Okay, I know. Losing weight, toning up, etc. is what everyone says every year. I know. But I chose my words differently this year on purpose. I want to be healthy. I want to encourage myself to make better eating choices, to be a little more active, and keep myself from getting sick or feeling bad. And this starts with the little decisions: taking Grohl for an extra long walk; ordering a salad instead of something else; choosing carrots and hummus over cheese and crackers. And you know what? If I really can't live without that slice of pizza or want that dessert, that's okay too! As long as it's in moderation.

4. Close Love, Virginia Gift Boxes. As you guys have probably already seen, this goal has been somewhat accomplished. I have been wanting to do this for a long time. Every time I got an order for these boxes, I became stressed out and just started to hate it. It just didn't have the same appeal to me as it used. And I felt just AWFUL about it. I felt like a failure and like I was letting people down. And that's why it took me SO LONG to let it go. Literally, I wanted to close this down over the summer, but I just couldn't let it go. It was so scary. It just seemed like such a hard thing to do and like it would take so much time and effort. So I sat down, and I made a list. I listed off all of the things I would need to do to close the business. And one at a time, I did each of those things until the list was complete. And it felt sooooo good! And everyone was so supportive! And now I feel like this huge weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I'm opening myself to a new opportunity of moving these boxes back in Twila, which is the next step. 

5. Learn more about 17Hats. I know this seems kind of silly, but I needed to write it down. I've been using 17Hats as my Account Management System for over 2 years now and I love it. But I don't use it to it's full potential at all! And I know if I did, it would make my life so much easier. So my goal this year is to set aside some time each week/month to watch the videos and learn more about how to use aspects of it to (going back to goal 2) streamline my processes. 

6. Organize and simplify my life and home. Following in Emily Ley's footsteps, I'm hoping to clean house this year. We have a lot of things coming up and I am tired of feeling like I have so much 'stuff.' I just want to get rid of it! So that's what I'm doing. I already started and took a huge load of that 'stuff' to Goodwill, and it felt amazing. And thanks to Jael for helping me clean out the office this month because she kept me accountable and helped me throw more stuff away than I probably would have by myself. I plan on doing some of the declutter and organizational challenges throughout this year to keep getting things organized and cleaned out. 

All of that said, did you notice any themes? 

I had the hardest time picking my word of the year, so I put it off and just started setting my goals. After looking back at all of these goals, there was one big thing in common: Simplify. I want to simplify my life this year. Make things easier on myself. Take out those extra steps and extra things that I don't need to make more room for the things that matter. 

What are some of your goals for 2018??