Goals For Fall And Beyond.

Hi Everyone,

This is officially my 30th blog post, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. Two years ago, I never would have dreamed my blog would grow as big as it is today and I really want to say thank you to everyone who reads my posts, comments, and supports me.

Every year I like to make a list of goals that I want to focus on. Instead of doing this January 1st I love to do it in the fall right before it becomes winter. This way it helps me through the winter when I seem to get a little gloomy.

Last year, I honestly only accomplished a few of my goals where were:
Blogging more
Dieting
Volunteering
Attitude

I did most of this, in fact, I still volunteer once in a while at the local humane shelter, but honestly, I don’t feel like I took last years goals seriously. They were so cliché, and so basic that I didn’t really put thought into them. I was also just beginning to blog and trying to make it easy to read. I focused on the wrong things. This year I have come up with a new list that I actually want to focus on, stuff that I don’t care if anyone else agrees with because it’s for me not for them.

1. Be a little more selfish with my time. I deserve my time. I recently looked at a photo of myself and wished that I still looked like that. My mom said “Do you know how much time you spent making yourself look that good? Priorities change.” Yes, they do, but the thing is I still really want to feel good about myself, and I am learning to love myself. I am allowed to be selfish with my time and put effort into myself.

2. This year I will actively choose the lifestyle I want to live. I will not be dating men who tell me how I should live, I will not let my friends tell me what sort of lifestyle I should have. I will actively choose which direction I want my life to go.

3. I will read more. Recently I have been making excuses or prioritizing other things over something I enjoy. I always tell myself I am too tired to read, or a movie will be alright while I fall asleep. Well screw the excuses, I love to read, and I will read as much as I can, especially during these winter months.

4. This year I will not focus on dieting, I will focus on living my healthiest life. I hate diets I won’t stick to them, but if I focus on creating a healthier and happy environment, I am more likely to stick to it. I have been in the process of doing this, and now it’s time to make it my goal officially.

5. I will travel more. I have recently been on a few trips, and I love to travel. I like to talk to other people, I love to experience different cultures, and I love to eat delicious food. While I am young, while I live with my parents, I will make it a priority to travel. Why would I not take advantage? Why would I choose anything other than living life free?

6. I will start saving for retirement. Yes, I am young, no I probably don’t need to save right this second, but I know myself. If I don’t start now, I will wait till the last minute, rush, and stress myself out when I do retire.

7. I will finish the book I started writing. Anyone who is a writer knows sometimes it’s hard to start and finish a book, especially when it’s so close to your life. Before Aruba, I had this idea, a what-if-idea, and began playing scenes out in my head. I started thinking of my character before I even wrote her on paper, I got attached to her, and that’s when I started writing. First, for almost a month I worked on the outline. During that time, I kept asking myself if I was ever going to start writing or if it was just an idea. One day after I deemed the outline worthy, I started writing, and rewriting and writing more.

It’s super important to set attainable goals and set ones that you actually care about. Yes, I accomplished almost all my last year’s goals, but they didn’t mean much. I would have chosen many different goals last year had I really taken the time to think about things. Before setting your goals for this year take the time to think about who you are, what you want, and how attainable they are. Life is all about choices, so choose carefully what you focus on this upcoming year.