2015 Goals

As I was looking back over my goals last year and all that was (or wasn't) accomplished, I realized that overall having some concrete goals to obtain was really helpful for me throughout the year.  Last year was the first time I'd ever written out goals, let alone shared them with anyone, but I found that it kept me motivated and for the most part on track throughout the year.  Having some added accountability in place really did wonders for me last year.

With that in mind, I've decided to make written goals a tradition with the hopes that this year will prove to be even more successful!  Some of this year's goals are bigger, some are more specific, and some are broader than last year, but overall I think they help touch each part of my life that I'd like to make some changes in.

So here goes nothing....for 2015, my goals are as follows: (Items that are underlined & bold are my top goals for this year).

Health:

• Lose 50 pounds (no surgery plans this year so I want to get back on track!).
• Work out at least 3x/week - swimming, walking more, and starting some in-home exercises.
• Strengthen my core and upper body. 
• Make it a point to not eat out at all at least 1 week every month.

Finances:

• Pay off two loans completely.  
• This is a BIG goal, but one of my top goals for 2015.  Other goals throughout this post will be going to help make this one a reality! 
• Decrease areas of my budget as much as possible where I can (i.e. - money spent on going out, clothing, entertainment, etc).
• Implement the "Save the Extra" method.  
• Instead of rolling over extra cash from items in my budget at the end of the month, my goal is to now take that money and put it straight into savings so I can start saving up for my own apartment, trips, etc.
• Plan now for Christmas.
• My goal is to start putting a little aside each month for Christmas so that the "gifting frenzy" won't be as bad this year.

Home:

• Re-organize!
• This is an easy goal for me, but we all need those right?  My goal is to re-organize my closet, desk, and dresser to be more functional this week.
• Get tax items in order.
• I want to scan all of my receipts from Haiti last year into my digital system, and de-clutter that area of my life.  Yay for less clutter!
• Get all of my items for 2014 taxes in order, scanned, and ready to be filed come February.
• Gather all of my items stored upstairs and down at home, inventory them, and have Dad store them all together in one place.
• This may be wishful thinking, but having my stuff strewn about 100 places makes me anxious, so this would be a huge weight lifted!  Plus it'd be nice to know what all I have whenever the day comes that an apartment is an option :).

Personal:

• Contentment Challenge. 
• After all of the buzz of the Holiday's, I keep finding myself feeling very discontent and it's been tugging at my heart.  So, I've decided to make contentment one of my major goals this year.   Some ways I'll be doing that are:
• Digging into God's word.
• De-cluttering my inbox and social media sites by removing/unsubscribing from all unnecessary shopping ads.  There are very few that I actually shop at regularly and the rest are just constant temptations that need to be removed.
• Limiting online shopping.
• Limiting my non-essential shopping trips.
• Eating at home vs going out.

• Read more.
• Read at least 6 books this year (one every other month).
• Continue to decrease my time on social media.
• Invest more time into local missions and volunteer work.
• Help youth at Church with their fundraising efforts.
• Father's day/Christmas project.
• Take some "me" time - away from work.
• Trip to the beach, lake, something for myself!
• Be more intentional about hanging out with friends - especially with those who live further away!
• Take an ID5 trip
• Have a girl's weekend with local friends
• Beach trip

This is a lofty list, but I'm really excited about the possibility of making it all a reality!  Here's to kicking off 2015 with a strong start!  What are your top goals this year??