Goals in Review

On New Years Day, I shared three posts on Instagram. The photos were text saying 'happy', 'new' & 'year'. It was a way for me to break down my intentions for 2017 in to things that make me happy, new things to try, and things I want to make happen this year. In February I shared them in a blog post and added notes on my progress.

​Fast forward to now, at year end, and I'm looking back on the goals and reflecting on them. The majority I stuck to. All of them, I've worked at or remain to be goals of mine in the upcoming year.

​If you're interested (in a long read), here they are for you to read and review yourself.

​Let them inspire you to reflect on what matters most to you this year and the one ahead. It's not about being more like mine, it's about what is best for YOU! How you can better design a life that brings you happiness, explores new things and helps you achieve realistic goals.

​(I'll be posting my 2018 intentions soon!)

HAPPY | Intentional ways for me to feel *happy* in 2017:

​1| write - any which way, to document thoughts & growth - journal, insta captions, daily calendar + consistent blogging (when it feels right.)
February
I'd still like to be writing more. The one thing I have been doing maybe weekly is a writing thought dump. Getting everything out of my head and on to paper is an anxiety lifter and calming act for me. I write down to dos, lists, plans, ideas, etc. all scratched on one piece and that helps me to best decide how to move forward instead of keeping it all up in my head.

December
Blogging still wasn’t consistent… and is something I want to work towards.
I do tend to “insta-blog” and share longer captions and thoughts there.
I’m still thought dumping and honestly more intentional about it. Journaling this way has become much more regular the last quarter of the year and I’m finding it very helpful. I wrote about it a little in this post.

​2| active living - challenging my health & fitness with daily movement, conscious food choices + goal setting.
December
This year may have been my healthiest year yet! I didn’t attend as many fitness classes as the previous year or two, yet my self-disciplined care for myself and making time for me was better. My eating is very intuitive and has evolved in to making choices that are more informed and better for me. I was much more consistent with running this year and in the mid-later part of the year, I found myself with a strength training regularly.
​

​​3| connecting - family first. foster authentic self & friendships - surround myself with likeminded + high vibe people, embrace quality or quantity.
​February
I'm feeling good about this one. Setting boundaries and putting my values and my family first. Working part time is helping me to focus on real relationships and those that are present in my life. Sometimes being connected online creates false connections or keeps us too plugged in to those that don't really matter. I've learned to let go of that. I stopped following people or brands I used to like that don't make me feel good anymore. Instead I try to fill my life, and newsfeeds, with inspiration that matches the kind of life I want to live.

December
I “lost” a lot of “friends” this year, most definitely for the better. I let go of trying to hang out with people who didn’t seem to want to hang out with me. I didn’t force anything that didn’t feel right… (which turns out was a lot.) Instead, I found new, more authentic connections, enjoyed more family time and most importantly strengthened my relationship with myself.

​4| regular self care regiment - make 'me time' a routine. find alignment + flow in life by filling my own cup first
​February
There's always room for improvement here. I'm proud of myself for making changes and taking time for myself. Now that I'm working, although only part time, it's more important than ever. Especially working from home. Sometimes the days leave me drained but staying up late to make time for me or better yet waking up early has been huge!

​I started waking earlier to make time for morning yoga. I sometimes do it with the kids but there is something a little more magical in the peace and quiet of early morning. This helps me get that daily movement in, too, and really starts my day off strong (in all aspects.) More thoughts on that at the end of this post ;)

December
One of the top things I did to take care of myself this year was taking a high quality supplement. I have never taken vitamins regularly, with the exception of prenatals, which were low end drug store variety. I started off 2017 taking Doterra’s Life Long Vitality pack and noticed an extreme difference in overall energy and positive reactions in my body. In the later half of the year I experimented with another “high quality” supplement and while I found good results, I concluded Doterra was better for my body and provided me with further benefits. I’d love to elaborate on this is a post someday!

I also upped my self care game when I joined a Self Care Society. I connected with some high vibe ladies and gained inspiration and support. I made more time for physical activities of self care like face masks or quiet, reflection time.
​
Lastly, a huge self care switch for me was prioriterizing sleep when I became pregnant. This pregnancy has been my most exhausting! I literally went to bed as soon as the kids did during first trimester (or earlier if Matthew was home.) I found waking up earlier to prep and plan for work was much more beneficial to me after logging 8+ hours of rest a night.
​

NEW | Some of the *new* things I want to do in 2017:

​1| explore alberta - camper adventures round two! plan trips in advance. explore our beautiful province + beyond.
​February
Being my own boss allows me to set my vacation hours! In January, I mapped out my time off for the year to let my dayhome families know well in advance. This narrowed down the weekends for camping. Between other holidays and Matthew away at work, there's really only a handful or so. I'm excited to book sites now that we know the dates.

December
We made so many awesome memories camping this year! We went nearly every weekend Matthew was off and home in the Spring/Summer with the exception of our trip to NL. We ventured to mostly new to us parks, both provincial and private, in southern Alberta. I’ve shared sneak peaks on my Instagram and will probably include more details on my yearly recap post :)

2| read - at least one new book a month. more fiction novels.
​January: After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
​February: The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
​Thoroughly enjoyed both! Book review posts coming soon perhaps? I have thoughts to spill but nap time's only so long ;)

December
I strayed from my fiction reading and I’m disappointed about that. Partly because my library visits slowed down in the second half of the year.
I did enjoy some other great reads though but not as often as one a month… One of my favourites was Arianna Huffington’s Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder.

3| learn to ski - (read: learn to enjoy skiing.)
​February
In progress!!! I got on skis for the first time in 6 years... and I didn't fall... and I actually liked it! I stuck with the bunny hill ha... and was feeling better than I ever have! Looking forward to our upcoming long weekend trip to the real Mountains! Stay tuned.

December
We spent Family Day Weekend in the mountains and it was great! I was proud of myself for braving the mountains and my improvement. Unfortunately we didn’t do much after then… and now I’ll be out this season because of baby on the way!

​4| plan + prep - meals, be consistent with healthy eats + organization! eat for energy. embrace whole foods, less sugar + natural products. | play experiences = dream job! | family time, date nights, vacations etc - use planner & calendar | plan time for no planning, too :P
​February
My More Time Moms Family Organizer calendar may just be my favourite Christmas gift! Organization is an ever improving skill but I must say I'm pleased with the progress I have made for planning in all areas.

December
I stuck to using my calendar ALL year! It really helped me stay on top of dayhome meal planning and family activities and appointments.
My eating, because of my ongoing learning about food, was probably the best it’s ever been! Yet, my meal planning and cooking for dinners was not on the ball. After cooking so much all day for the dayhome, I’d let this slide. Yet, it would be so easy to plan suppers too… That’s something I’d like to work on more in the upcoming year.
I was also much better at planning camping in advance this year… I had to be with work. Our date nights slowed down because of all the time we spent out of town when Matthew and I were off but we still enjoyed more quality time together and as a family than ever.

​5| embrace mind/body wellness - use insight meditation app. try new fitness genres + classes = spin!
​February
Meditating (with this app) is something I'm specifically working on for February...
I finally tried a spin class! I liked it but honestly thought I would love it more, mostly for the music and atmosphere... which is probably what I did like most about it. My feet being locked in was weird , for me, and didn't help my knee that naturally turns in... And my body type personally doesn't need the crazy calorie crushing but if you do it's an awesome workout!

December
I didn’t try a whole lot of new classes this year. I returned to Hot Mama Fit’s Bootylicious Run Group, which I love, and actually followed the 10K training plan this time. It made a big difference! I also attended a Surf Set class for a Hot Mama night out!
Meditation is still something I slacked on… but only if you think of traditional ways… I spent more intentional time getting quiet, reflecting or listening to self-improvement podcasts.
This was probably my best year for mental health and clarity. Which has fostered the mind + body wellness I was looking to grow.

YEAR | Goals to make happen in 2017:

​1| improve run speed & distance - run a 15K+ race. complete 4+ races.
​February
I mapped out the runs I would like to do this year. There's 8 on the list so far. Half are for sure and half are maybes for fun. All working up to a 15K in mid September... And technically I completed the New Years Day race although I've hardly been counting that one, because aside from showing up, it wasn't much of a run between my stroller and the snow.

December
This is a great example of planning but NOT taking action. Action is what’s needed for this kind of goal. Yes, I mapped those runs out, then I failed to register. I only did one other race – The Run for Women with (with run group.) I’m disappointed in myself for not committing. Yet, super proud of myself because this year I actually ran more than ever. I was running consistently 2-3 times a week in the Spring through early Fall. It became a true outlet for me. Something I craved and enjoyed.
​

​2| thrive in my childcare career - contribute financially (!) make it so it never 'feels like work.'
​February
Happy to report I am loving 'work' so far! It's truly a dream job to me.

December
Contributing financially was a great thing to achieve this year. For the most part, my dayhome has been a wonderful experience. Sure there are challenging moments and days, but when I’ve prepared, planned and am *present* it doesn’t feel like “work.”

​3| plan for continuing education - map out course completion. register for kids yoga teacher training.
​February
I couldn't resist waiting any longer so I inquired about a training program in January for later this year!

December
Not much happened after my inquiry… I had been considering October courses. Yet things started taking a different course in the second half of the year.
My pregnancy is also adding a monkey ranch to my career and plans… and I’m not sure what my path will be. I can only see it as positive though and a sign that I am meant for something different… something more ;)
​​

​4| attend a retreat.
​February
Is it just me or are retreats popping up way more these days? I actually didn't commit time off for one when I looked at my calendar... so I'll have to wait and see what comes for this adventure.

December
No retreat but how about a sister getaway to Tone It Up TOUR?! Even better! This trip was fantastic and a much needed getaway!

​5| print photos (at least) once a month.
February
This is the one goal I'm feeling down about because it's probably the most specific and measurable and it didn't happen last month. Despite how much I thought of it...
​We gifted Chatbooks to grandparents at Christmas and they loved them! I have been a fan for a while and plan to catch up on a few years of printing photos using their service.
 
December
Annnd another example of missing that crucial “action” piece. I mean, printing photos is easy, right?!
We also gifted Chatbooks again this year. But I still haven’t printed our own L

​6| plan & start savings for 2018 family vacation.
​February
California April 2018? Thinkin bout it ;)
​
December
Another daydream that went sideways when we found out we are expecting! Although a new baby to love on and join us on a later vacation sounds even better!

And there you have it! A whole lotta goal talk!

​If you made it this far, I'm sure you skimmed most of it ;)

​This post, like many, was for my own benefit. I can only hope that sharing it helps you to be inspired to take action or be intentional in your own life.

​Thanks as always for following along and stay tuned for 2018's visions. They're written in my journal and will be making their way to insta and the blog soon! 
​