Happy Happy 2018 sweet friends!!!! Wow, can you even believe that 2017 has already come & gone?! I sure can’t! So much happened in 2017 that made it totally fly by (like getting married, moving to a brand new state, starting the blog, & gaining 2 energetic puppies along the way – whew!!). Something that I really want to do this year that I haven’t done in the past couple of years is actually sit down & think about my life in 2017 & setting new goals for 2018. I have always set ‘goals’, but I kind of wonder if I only did it to follow the trend …lol. This year I want to be intentional about really striving to create & meet goals. A Look Back on 2017 + 2018 Goal Setting has me excited for the coming year! Cheers to a new year!!
I am absolutely NOT an expert at this, but I would love to give you some of the tips I gained on how I organized my year from 2017 and goals for 2018. My hubby and I decided to separate things by categories, such as faith, fitness/health, marriage, personal, work/school, etc. These are just main categories that I am always thinking about & striving to work with, but choose any you’d like!
I started with just a piece of big notebook paper and created 2 columns for each category – ‘the good’ & ‘the tough’. I went through my specific categories and thought of the things that went well in that category, but also what was the toughest for me in that category in 2017. God was definitely present with me & He sure did teach me a ton about life and myself that I didn’t even know!! Some things maybe I didn’t want to know or accept….lol. But He faithfully guided me through it all.
Here is just an example of how I organized my year-end review:
LIFE
the good
-married my best friend!
-became a dog mom x2
-moved to Houston
-continued college online with only 2 classes to go
-found a church we really love
-started The Grace Gathered Home
-found rest in a new season
the tough
-struggled with juggling all of the new changes/homesickness
-disorganized due to feeling like I was not able to settle into our new home
-let go of my passion for having a structured fitness routine
These are just a few of the big things on my list, I have way too many to share haha! But this is kind of how I went about reviewing everything from 2017. Sooo much happened & changed last year and I think I need to show you some of my favorite memories before I show you a few of my new goals!
married my best friend (insert crying face emoji) I love him so much!
we laughed a lot in 2017 🙂 at ourselves & each other.
moved into our first home 1,000 miles away from everything we’ve every known! very different how I pictured things at the beginning of 2017, but the Lord had better plans!
our first home :’)
we added this two cutest members to our little family. I have no idea what i would do without the company of these little guys every day. They truly do make us feel like we have family with us always! Even though we are 1,000 miles away from our family in Nebraska.
2017 called for countless adventures with my new little family……
galveston island
hiking at brazos
These are just a few of my favorite moments of this year….the Lord has totally blessed me in so many ways that weren’t in my plan, but that were in His.
Now for a couple 2018 GOALS! This was a little tough for me to do. You know the feeling you get when you have so many things that you want to strive for and work towards, but it’s just too much to take on? Yep, i’m your girl. This year I had to truly be realistic about my words & goals!
My 2 Words or Sayings for 2018:
Be Present
Be Intentional
These are both things that I struggle with and have decided to make myself strive for them in 2018. Being present in the moment, with family & friends, and just in life is a great gift that we can take advantage of. I have often felt that I constantly look at the future and the ‘what’s next’ of my life, this will be a big step! Intentionality is one in the same – striving to be intentional and having a connecting conversation with your husband, your child, your friend. Intentionality about serving others & not self. These are just a few things God has put on my heart the last few months of 2017!
A Couple of other goals:
Fitness: Run a Half-Marathon (in hopes that I can get a fitness routine back)
Faith: Journal/Pray/Read every day (it doesn’t have to be hours, just make some time!)
Blog: Have 75,000 consistent monthly blog views by the end of 2018 (might be a long-shot goal, but with persistence, passion, & a lot of prayer i feel that i can achieve this!)
Now I encourage you to sit down & really think about your year in review & what you’d like to strive for in 2018! It might take a couple of hours, but it is so worth it! Blessings to you all & cheers to 2018!
xo, Tristen
hi there..may you achieve your goal & dreams come true. Blessing to you!
thank you so much, Shirley! Happy new year to you!