Behind the Scenes Look at How I Did with My Goals from Last Year

In this episode:

I talk a big game and give advice about setting goals and achieving your dreams. So how did I do with my own? In this episode, I share my intentions from last year and how I did with accomplishing them. Spoiler alert - I didn't get them all done! Let's continue the January series on goals and plans.

Inspired Life: My Goals

I promised that this week I would do my own evaluation of goals right here and let you know how I did. So let’s get started. I know this is going to be a lot about me, but I think we can find both inspiration and comfort in hearing someone else’s honesty.

I sat down on January 2 of last year and prayed about it, got out some papers and dreamed, listed, brainstormed…I used the goals from the previous year as a springboard. I came up with these 8 things that I felt God pressing on my heart. But even with that preparation and prayer, I couldn't anticipate the whole year.

1. I WILL LIVE TO BRING GLORY TO GOD.

  • Represent Jesus well on social media. I tried!
  • Choose writing and business activities that point others to God. I did.
  • Begin each day with time in God’s Word. Well, not every day. But I did it a lot of days!

2. I WILL SET ASIDE 3O MINUTES PER DAY FOR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING.

  • Read 40 books this year. I did 35! (This includes audio books from the library, because it's the only way I can find time to "read."
  • Choose weekly activities that promote self-care. Um...I got better about this. I set aside Sundays for rest. (Hallmark movies, reading, naps)
  • Journal to reflect about what I do for personal wellbeing. I have a goals journal. That was the best I could do. I'm not a journaler. What can I say? I tried!

3. I WILL MAKE MY HEALTH A PRIORITY.

  • Devote time to exercise 4-5 days per week. I did 2-4 times per week. I maybe did five once. But every time I got off track, I got back on track again.
  • Listen to my body’s signals for hunger and fullness. I heard it. But didn't always listen. But again, I'm getting back on track. Again. And that's what it's about. 
  • Eat whole foods and keep processed foods and sugar to a minimum. For about 8 months I did great! The end of the year wasn't as good for my health. So I am again, getting back on track. 
  • Connect with wellness buddy for accountability related to health. Yes! Every week I checked in with her.

4. I WILL WRITE.

  • Finish the book for couples this year. I finished the draft and I'm in the editing. But, I worked on it like crazy when I did have time. And I'm good with that! I wrote a lot of other stuff too!
  • Post 24 blogs and podcasts this year. I had to take a couple of breaks, but produced 20. AND I learned enough to make some changes for 2020. Win!
  • Explore other writing/publishing ideas. I did! And I have some fun stuff coming in 2020. 

5. I WILL GROW PROFESSIONALLY.

  • Delegate weekly time for business or marketing development: posting on social media, research, sending notes to potential clients, advertising, education, etc. Here, I didn't always delegate it, but I DID get it done. I made a lot of progress. I listened to a lot of podcasts too!
  • I will dedicate an afternoon each month to dream up new ideas and creative solutions that will fulfill my goals. I could have been more intentional about this committment.

6. I WILL FOCUS MY BUSINESS WORK.

  • Narrow down work to the areas that energize me and back off on activities that are simply for earning income. I did. I said no to a bunch of projects that didn't fit with my energy and focus. 
  • Expand book design services and create samples. I did. I launched missionandmedia.com and put content on it.
  • Create packages for services and add to website. Yep. Added to missionandmedia.com
  • Contract ____ book design clients this year. Why am I not giving you the number? Because there are a few things I want to keep private. But, I worked with several authors on getting their books published, and I'm excited about 2020.
  • I will on create new marketing materials for speaking. Folder, flyer, contract forms. I accomplished the forms! Not the folder. And instead of a flyer, I made a rack card and business cards. 
  • Develop the idea of course and community by June 30 or decide to drop the idea. I decided to drop the idea for a few reasons. To do it well, I needed more time in my schedule. I hate doing things halfway.
  • Earning goal of $_______ gross. Not going to give the number, but I got 3/4 of the way to my goal and I had set a much bigger goal for this year than I had for 2018. 

7. I WILL INVEST IN OTHERS.

  • I will leave positive comments on my writers group and encourage others in my professional circles. I did.
  • Send a written note to someone every week (business, professional, or personal contacts). No, I didn't do it. But I did start to message other people on social platforms to say hello and give some encouragement. 
  • Enjoy 1:1 opportunities to mentor or connect, but be intentional about when to say yes and when to say no. I set some new boundaries and it was good.

8. I WILL SET NON-NEGOTIABLES

  • I’m not going to take clients out of fear that I won’t make enough money. I did this. 
  • I’m going to create new work habits so I don’t need to work nights and weekends. Um, no. But I'm still working on making changes while being realistic that I do own a business. I am taking Sundays off. That's a win. 

 

Life, Repurposed: Some is Better than None, Right?

By now, it’s clear that I didn’t achieve all of those even though they were good goals and well-written. I even made them as “I will” statements to make the commitment clear.

Some of the goals I set for last year were SMART – small, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time sensitive. Some of them followed principles that I’ve read in books about having both habit goals and achievement goals.

I’m an achiever by nature, so getting stuff done is important to me. However, getting stuff done isn’t the same as being productive. I was both productive and I got stuff done last year. But some of what I got done was not the best use of my time.

The other thing I have realized about myself is that I love to strategize and think long-term, but I also can get overwhelmed with the actual execution of that. And if I think that there are too many steps toward a goal, I struggle to take the first one. The best goals that I have reached are ones that I reminded myself of often and looked at what I would need to swap out of my schedule to make it happen. But I looked in shorter increments.

As I continue with a serious in January on goals and accomplishing them, I want to ask you a similar question to what I asked in the last episode. Question: What is stopping you?

I’m not sad about some of the things that I committed to on my 2019 goals but then didn’t do last year. That was a LOT in addition to some really big projects that came my way. I do celebrate what I achieved.

Action:

What keeps you from taking steps?

How many years in a row have the same goals been in your list?

How will you change that this year?

I’m going to give you a quick resource, and then next week I will share with you what I’m trying this year in place of a 12-month long-range plan.

Recommended Resources 

I'd like to introduce you to Business Boutique: A Woman’s Guide for Making Money Doing what She Loves  by Christy Wright.(⬅ affiliate link for easy ordering)

This book really is for women who want to start a business, but if you have any sort of goals related to selling crafts, giving lessons, running a design business, using your skills to make money, this is a great place to start. It begins with talking about dreams, it covers the hard stuff of letting go of some things to pursue others, and how to get started. There are some practical worksheets at the end of each chapter to use for brainstorming.

Listen to this from the back of the book:

There is a movement of women stepping into their God-given gifts to make money doing what they love. If you're ready to join them, this is your handbook that will take the ideas in your head and the dream in your heart and turn them into action.

*Help you create a step-by-step, customized plan to start and grow your business.

*Show you how to manage your time so you can have a business- and life- that you love.

*Explain overwhelming business stuff like pricing, taxes, and budgeting in simple terms.

*Teach you how to use marketing to reach the right people in the right way.

Christy Wright is part of the Dave Ramsey network and she also has a podcast called Christy Wright’s Business Boutique that will inspire you to keep going with your dreams.


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(Please note: books posted here on my blog are purely because I want to share them. Sometimes I receive free copies for review, and other times I purchase the books. Some I get from the library. Either way, any endorsement I offer here on the blog is simply because I want to talk about the book. ) *This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. I sell my ebook via Amazon but I’m also a part of their “Associates” (i.e. affiliate) program which pays a commission on books and any other Amazon products people purchase via my links.

Michelle Rayburn is the author of The Repurposed and Upcycled Life: When God Turns Trash to Treasure, as well as a small group Bible study to accompany the book. Learn more about these and her other books here. A sample chapter of the book and Bible study are available for free download.

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This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. I sell my ebook via Amazon but I’m also a part of their “Associates” (i.e. affiliate) program which pays a commission on books and any other Amazon products people purchase via my links.

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