A new year is just around the corner and I am beginning to think about what changes I want to make in 2017. I’ve already sat down a few times to review and reflect on what happened this year. I’m thankful to the women in my mastermind who encouraged me to dream bigger dreams for my work last year. I would have never set lofty goals without their help. I learned so much from being part of that group of almost two years! This year I am paying it forward by hosting a virtual meet-up for female entrepreneurs to encourage other women to set BIG goals for themselves. Find out more and sign up here.

You can read about my goals for 2016 here.

There a couple different ways I go about creating goals and resolutions that I will go into details below. I also created a form you can print and fill out for you and another appropriate for school-age children in my TpT Store.

You will find that sometimes I use the word resolution and something I refer to my intentions as goals. One’s a hope, and one’s a plan. A goal is the hope–for example: a goal is to lose weight. The resolution is the plan on how you will make it happen. My resolution is to eat healthier, pack lunches, drink more water, etc. If you actually want to reach a goal, then you need to figure out how you’re going to get there.

Word of the Year: Connect
My past words: 2011: Peace 2012: Balance 2013: Grace 2014: Grow 2015: Content 2016: Play

This idea came from the work of Ali Edwards who created a workshop she runs each year called One Little Word to help creative minds focus on living out their “word” each month through out the year. Watch this short video for inspiration on choosing your word!

This year I want to connect with the people in my life on a deeper level (goal) I plan to do this by starting out reading the book by Shauna Niequist called Present over Perfect. It’s been on my nightstand for a few months and I think it will help me find ways to start connecting and becoming a better listener in conversations with others. There’s also a workshop at our church called Listening Well that I am going to look into!

 

As for this past year focusing on PLAY? I nailed it! My time with my husband and children has been more fun and my family sees me having fun WITH them instead of sitting on the sidelines!

Business Goals:
I won’t bore you with the details of my business goals for 2017 but I will outline how come up with these goals. I create two push goals, these are BIG, SCARY goals that I want to work towards.

I then break down the year into Quarterly Goals. I make a list of different actions (resolutions) that have to take place each month to work towards meeting that quarter’s goal. I am using a journal specifically for goal setting called the Volt Planner which prompts you each week with journaling questions to reflect and move forward all year long! Having an accountability partner to check in with EACH WEEK on how you are doing on meeting these mini tasks to reach the monthly then quarterly goal is important!

Goals and Resolutions:
Back when we were preparing to get married in the Catholic Church, we were required to take marriage classes. Something I learned from the therapist running our private sessions was the importance of setting goals in three categories: personal, family and couple.

Last year’s Goals and Resolutions:
Personal: Goal: Record special memories Resolution: Write in my One Line a Day Journal five times a week!

• I didn’t keep up with this which makes me sad. So guess what?I am going to try again! But I am not making it my main personal goal!

Family: Goal: Have fun as a family Resolution: Plan a fun activity or outing for all of us each Friday. Friday Fun Day

• This didn’t always happen on a Friday. We DID however, start having Family Meetings every Saturday beginning in July. These family meetings have really helped out family to communicate and we came up with a Family Slogan as well as Family Mission Statement. It is clear to the kids what we expect of them and what is important to our family!

Couple: Goal: Finding a sport or hobby we can enjoy together Resolution: Try out different things each month during date nights.

• We did try a few different things like paddle boarding, walking and riding bikes. The best of all was Dave teaching me to drive the speed boat and take him water skiing in the mornings before work. This was a fun hobby for us both!

2017 Personal Goals and Resolutions

Personal: Goal: Get bendy and strong! Resolution: incorporate two days of strength training and stretching into my weekly workouts. My friends and I are also taking on a reading challenge to help us expand the types of books we choose to read! More on that soon!

Family: Goal: Connect and strengthen our family unit Resolution: Our kids are still at the prime impressionable age and I want to be intentional about the books we read at bedtime, the conversations we have at dinner, playing together, dancing, being silly and continuing our Family Meetings each week.

Couple: Goal: Spend less money Resolution: Track and Budget (For me, Dave doesn’t need this resolution but I am going to work with him so that I can move forward in spending less in our personal life!!!)