Statistically, anywhere from 60-80% of the people who make New Year’s Resolutions have already abandoned them by the first 6 weeks. That number is shocking. Sad. Un-motivating. And scary. Another statistic stated only 39% of people in their 20’s complete their resolutions.
Maybe you’re reading this and you’re one of the people who has given up. Or maybe you never started in the first place. But if you’ve been around for awhile, you know I use my blog as a way to keep myself motivated and accountable when it comes to the goals I’ve set for myself. I’m not going to lie, I’ve already thought about some of my goals and had the thought that I should change them or stop because they seem out of reach and unrealistic. I’m trying to use that to motivate me even more (we’ll see if it works)
Last month I mentioned my theme for the year is to live whole-heartedly. I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot over the last 31 days. What I’ve come to realize is it’s about balance and finding balance in life where we live in a world that is constantly go, go, go and do better, be better. Balance is hard. And tricky. And I think it’s going to take me all year to start feeling like it’s something I can achieve. Does anyone have any tips to balancing your life? I feel like there’s so much I am expected to do and whether that’s true or not, I want to make sure I’m in a place where all my needs can be equally met. By finding balance, I’m hoping it will continue to help me stay positive and happy and will help me feel whole-hearted.
To help myself, I sectioned my goals out so I could start to pay attention to each area. I haven’t had a perfect start to my goals, so I’m thankful there are still 11 months to keep on going with my theme for the year.
KNOWLEDGE:
· Reading Challenge- I’ve read 4 books this month.
-No Dream is too High: Buzz Aldrin
-Furiously Happy: Jenny Lawson
-Present over Perfect: Shauna Niequist
-Brain on Fire: Susannah Cahalan
*I think my favorite for the month was Brain on Fire. Susannah is a great writer and I was interested about her story. If you’re interested in medical, brain, or psychology topics, this is worth your read!
· Learn/try something new each month- In January I went skiing for the first time! I don’t really like trying new things like this and I ended up having a good time. I don’t know when we’ll go again so I can get more practice in, but the good news is, I would go again!
SPIRITUAL:
· Attend the temple at least once per month- I went with my sisters to the Draper temple this month and we are starting a temple night. Contact me if you’re interested in joining! I’m excited and happy to get back into the pattern of going to the temple each month. I had been going steadily for the last two+ years, and at the end of last year, found myself giving too many excuses not to go.
PHYSICAL:
· Run more than 822 miles- I’m not off to a good start with this one….I find that I have a hard time running in the winter. Not even because it’s cold, because let’s be real, it hasn’t really been cold. Mostly because it gets dark earlier and I’m not always home before it gets dark. (Or maybe I’m finding excuses…) At any rate, I only logged 43 miles this month.
· Trilogize- The first race I’ll run to trilogize won’t be until June. So I won’t bring it up again until then!
· Go to the dentist- This is real. I HATE the dentist. I feel like they rip you off and I basically refuse to go unless I have tooth pain. That said, I haven’t been in almost ..3.. (yes 3) years and I’m pretty sure I’ve got to have some cavities, so, at some point, I will go this year. But I haven’t yet.
· Go to the optometrist- I actually have no issues with eye doctors, I just haven’t been in about 4 years. I started noticing my glasses weren’t cutting it all the way, so I knew that needed to go on the list too. I went this month and got some new glasses. If only the dentist were that easy for me.
FUN:
· Create a bucket list (with Mike) and cross off at least one item- We haven’t officially made a list, but I have started thinking about some things I want to add. Does anyone have a bucket list? What are some things on your list?
· Travel to 3 places we’ve never been to together- We haven’t started this goal yet either (well, I guess we kind of have) We are going to Thailand in a few months so we have started planning and booking our trip! We also know we will be going to Washington, but still need an idea for trip #3! (Preferably somewhere we can go in the summer)
· Finish 2017 scrapbook and get caught up since 2013- I actually started this one! I have been opposed to pre-made scrapbooks for years and love ones done by hand so much more, but finally decided it was more realistic to have them made. So in January, I made one for 2013 and 2014. I have 4 more to make…
FINANCIAL:
· Create 72 hour kits- This is something that has been on my mind, but I don’t know that I can say I have officially started it yet. I have started to set a few things aside. I will probably start focusing on it a little more in the next couple of months.
· Have a no spend month- We plan to do this in March.
· Build up business- This can actually go in a couple of ways and my initial goal may change slightly. But the concept of the original goal was to build up my business, so in one way or another, I will be working towards that. Did you know I do photography? You can find me on Instagram @ bethflintphoto
How is your 2018 going so far? Have you set any goals yet? If not, I encourage you to think about something you want to work on or focus for the year. Then choose some measurable goals that go along with your focus. Need help creating/maintaining your goals? Feel free to reach out to me: bethflint88@gmail.com
