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2017 Goals

I’m naming 2017 the year I learn to share myself – or at least that’s what I’m aiming to accomplish. I’m going to work on sharing my non-business interests, my essentials (the products/objects/services that I spend hours researching to find the right fit for me), and personal projects. And I hope to share some advice and tips/tricks along the way to.

Seth Godin said that showing up and sharing yourself in a public way (in his case, online) makes you a better person. It forces you to share your opinions and make predictions and that process – I think it’s standing for something – makes you better for it. I can definitely get behind that and I hope that by showing up here and practicing sharing myself that I become better for it (I have a good feeling that I will). [Seth Godin said this on a podcast last year – I really enjoyed the whole episode].

So, here goes. I’m sharing the targets I’m shooting at in 2017.

Share yourself

I touched on this above. I struggle with sharing myself – I usually think, “who cares?” or “why do I think I’m special?”. I’m sure many can relate. And I’ve come to think A. isn’t a good excuse and B. I share because I feel compelled to, not _______ (to impress someone, so someone reads it, or even to help someone – though I hope it does).

One word: remarkable

My word for 2017 is remarkable. I think the catch is how I’m interpreting it. To me, remarkable means creating/making/spending energy on something worth remarking on. I am not defining it from a place of perfection or needing it to be the most relevant thing ever. I want to make sure I’m creating things that feel special and perhaps it has more to do with the approach than the result.

10 strict pushups

Every year I add ‘feel strong’ or ‘feel fit’ to my list and I realized this year that I’ve shied away from putting a goal next to it. I think it’s because I feel intimidated, like what if I can’t reach it? Then I realized that it’s not the point! The point of these targets are not to achieve them perfectly but to have something to shoot at. So I’m tasking myself with being able to do 10 strict pushups in a row by the end of the year. I already feel more motivated about workouts thinking about this goal (vs. vague notions of feeling strong).

1 week money fast/month

This one target is a bit of a wildcard for me – it randomly popped in my head while I was pondering goals/targets for 2017. I’ve decided to not spend any money for one week each month (with the exception of a grocery trip if needed).

Recently, I began to notice that I don’t always make purchases that I feel good about. As I thought about this more deeply, I realized that the doesn’t-feel-good purchases tend to take two forms: A. mindlessly spending on convenience items (ex: grabbing lunch out instead of heating up lunch at home) and B. buying things I really, really want but don’t necessarily need (ex: a new pair of boots). I realized that sometimes I feel overindulged when spending money but I don’t take any proactive steps to prevent or stop it. One of my big takeaways from doing a Whole30 was that removing options removes guilt and allows you to then choose from an intentional place. So I’ve decided to experiment with spending fasts this year and see how it changes how I approach spending (and saving!).

Explore curiosities

This is always a goal of mine and one I take very seriously. I believe that our curiosities are pulling us to new, meaningful things and we should listen closely to them. Right now I’m feeling pulled towards learning/practicing photography more. I’d also love to learn video – I’ve been inspired ever since filming an episode of Creative Spaces last year. And I’m feeling the urge to throw more pottery lately.

Hang out 1x/week

Community is so important to me and has become vital to my creative career. I preach the importance of giving time to one’s community and I don’t think I prioritize it enough myself. So I’m shooting to create one social event per week, whether that’s coffee with someone new to me or dinner with good friends. This is even more important to me since opening the shop – as an introvert I get plenty of face time with others now that I don’t I seek out my friendships and creative community as much as I want to.

Prioritize self care

Especially in the mornings. I know the importance of self care and I keep learning it over and over. It’s not an indulgence or luxury, it is a foundational need for every person. I’ve learned a routine that works for me: I have a list of self care actions that I practice daily (that don’t feel like chores or another to-do). Checking three off is a good day, checking more off is even better (and checking none off is ‘a try better tomorrow, notice how you feel today’ day). My current list: take a bath, read, move my body, meditate, write 3 gratitudes before bed, cup of tea, write 1 page in the morning, sleep 8 hours, play, track food + exercise. I prioritize self care by keeping a simple spreadsheet beside my bed that I check off before bed. My target: to focus on self care throughout the day, not just before bed.

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[…] If you’re curious to look back, I’ve shared end of year reflections/new year goals in: 2019  2018  2017  2016 […]

[…] for 2018 (I always do but this year in particular I’m feeling it). My focus has shifted from last year. My focus and interests felt action/effort related in 2017; I’m interested in internal attention […]

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