A Year In Review & New Year Goals

These past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the year behind us, and the year before us. This is a wonderful time for reflection and looking to the future. It is a time to reset and refocus. A fresh start for everyone!

For many, 2016 was one hell of a tough year. We lost so many treasured people and endured an absolutely volatile election. The jokes about 2016 being so awful will live on long after the year has ended. But I have to say, my 2016 wasn’t so bad.

2016 Highlights

1. I QUIT SMOKING! As of this writing I am 159 days cigarette-free! Everyone, this has been a goal of mine for over ten years. TEN YEARS!
2. I got a new car! It’s my first new car, too. It replaced a thirteen year old Ford Focus. So yeah, it’s a big deal.
3. I published my first book! Questions For Life Two Year Guided Daily Journal For Intentional Living is the product of the four components of my daily practice combined into the perfect tool for the masses. This has been a wonderful experience so far and I am thrilled so many people love the journal.
4. I traveled to Asheville, NC and had a wonderful time with family. The mountains were where I finally quit smoking and where I got the idea for Questions For Life. The trip was ripe with new experiences and I am grateful to have traveled someplace new.
5. I built this new website. All by myself, too! This was a very significant blogging goal of mine for 2016.
6. I got my Mom back. My Mom has been addicted to pain killers for many years and it’s been hard. VERY hard. But she managed to kick her addiction and come back to us all. I thank God every single day for this.

So yeah, not too shabby!

In looking back at last year’s New Year post, I see I didn’t write specific goals for 2016. I set out to continue trying to lose weight and stop smoking, one of which I finally achieved! As for other goals, I realized that so many good things had finally become a part of my routine, my LIFE, that I didn’t find it necessary to write them down as goals. That’s pretty cool. And even without those specific goals, I had a successful year just continuing on this wellness journey. I have learned so much, accumulated more tools, had so many new experiences, and generally have continued to get to know myself better. It was a good year.

I grew in 2016. I don’t think I can ask for much more than that.

2017 New Year Goals

But I want to get specific again for 2017. Lately, some new year goals have been playing through my mind, so I’ve focused in on them and come up with the following list:

1. Pay off three specific debts.
   • Financial freedom continues to be a major goal of mine. I have identified three specific debts I have aimed to eliminate by the end of 2017.
2. Complete the first draft of my fiction novel.
   • This is a bold goal, yes. But after barely even touching my novel in 2016, this needs to be a much higher priority.
3. Establish a healthy morning routine, and maintain it consistently.
   • I still struggle with getting out of bed early and getting to yoga. I will not resolve to work out every morning because it’s not realistic. But I do want to commit to giving myself an hour to journal, meditate, read, write, exercise, etc. I also resolve to NOT let my phone be the first thing I look at every morning. Which leads me to my next goal…
4. Drastically reduce the amount of time I spend on Facebook/social media.  
   • One of the questions in Questions For Life is: What would your life look like if you never wasted another minute? Without being too specific, I will say that my life would be amazingly productive and I’d have a lot more to show for my time here. My biggest time suck is Facebook. I catch myself mindlessly scrolling through the nonsense and falling down rabbit holes when I could be producing or learning or any number of things that would serve me better.
5. Continue setting New Moon Intentions each moon cycle with specific 29 day goals.
   • One of the many things I learned in 2016 was how well New Moon Intention-setting works for me. Each new moon, I write down specific intentions which vary cycle to cycle. They include everything from finish reading a book, setting a specific weight goal, not checking social media as soon as I wake up, taking on an extra yoga class, etc. I commit to these intentions at my altar before the Moon and Universe. This holds me much more accountable than simply striving to achieve something by the end of a month. It’s all about finding what works for you. This works for me. So for all 2017 I will set intentions for each new moon, starting with today’s New Moon. I will include in these intentions other goals, as well as mini versions of my larger goals. For example, work on my novel twenty hours during the cycle.
6. Lose weight
   • For the second consecutive year, I have managed not to gain any weight. That’s great and represents progress. But I still struggle to lose weight. That being said, however, I am ending 2016 weighing six pounds less than I weighed at the end of 2015. It took a year’s worth of cognitive therapy and practice, but I think I’m finally on to something. In 2016 I managed to finally quit smoking. I think 2017 will be the year I finally manage to lose weight…

The Importance of Goal-Setting

Damn, it feels good not to have “quit smoking” among that list. When we set new year goals, we establish benchmarks in which to assess ourselves. By setting goals, we say to ourselves: I resolve for this year not to be the same as the last. I won’t live the same year over and over again and call it a life. I will do things differently. This past year I quit smoking. The sense of achievement when we accomplish our goals is incredibly rewarding.

So take some time and think about what you want this year. Just make sure your new year goals are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based). For example, my goal to lose weight isn’t very SMART. I haven’t specifically committed to a certain number of pounds I aim to lose, but I will in my new moon intentions, so I’m covered.

After you’ve established your annual goals, break them down into smaller, specific chunks. Want to lose 50 pounds? Set a monthly goal to lose five pounds and assess yourself regularly and make adjustments where necessary. Want to quit smoking? Don’t just give up if you have a cigarette. Keep track of how many you have a day/week/month and make your goal to cut that back the next week and the next month. Want to save $1,000? Do the math and finesse your budget and come up with a realistic plan to do so. Goals are nothing without a plan to achieve them.

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I love this time of year so much. So much optimism, so much energy. I look forward to continuing this life-changing journey in 2017, and I look forward to sharing it with you. I’d love to hear what some of your goals are for the new year. Please share them in the comments.

And if one of your goals is to minimize, then please join my Third Annual Minimalism Challenge kicking off January 1!

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and hopeful new year!

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Previous New Year Posts:

12/30/2015: A Year Well Spent

12/31/2014: 2014/2015: Looking Back & Looking Ahead

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