Happy New Year!!
It is that time again, where we (yes, we!) sit down and write about what we want to accomplish and how we are going to go about achieving our goals. For some people, crushing each goal is easy, while others have a hard time crushing one. However, if you are one of those people who set goals and never reach them, don’t be upset. Setting goals or resolutions, means you are trying to become a better version of yourself. A better person than yesterday. Therefore, for 2018, the theme throughout the year is to “Be Better, Do Better… Consistently”
Why? Because consistency is key and makes the difference between achieving or not achieving a goal. Consistency is all about repetition. Repeating the same thought process and the same actions day in and day out in order to get your desired outcome. If you look at the most successful people in the world, they are all consistent with their actions/ behaviours.
When it comes to brainstorming my yearly goals, I usually list like 20/25 goals for the year, but this year I wanted my goals to be things that really mattered to me. The list is still long but not as excessive as 25 items.
Self Care
Sometimes we are everything to everyone and forget to do for ourselves. But this year I will be doing for myself first by investing in my health. With a gym in the same building as my job, I feel like I won’t be able to make an excuse as to why I can’t go. Also, there are a few classes I want to take, like beginner’s yoga and swimming (yes I live on an island and cannot swim). Ultimately, I hope to improve my health by working out 4-5x per week and shed some pounds in the process.
I am a self-proclaimed couch potato and watching TV is something I enjoy. However, I feel like I need to read more because Real Housewives of Atlanta isn’t really a good talking point. So the plan is to read at least 30 mins a day in an effort to complete one book every month. Making reading a priority helps with stress reduction, increase in vocabulary, improvement in memory, focus and writing skills. It will be nice to step away from the TV and computer for a little bit.
Family
Hubs and I are both busy and I don’t want our lives to get to the point where we spend time with everyone else and spend no time with each other. In 2018 I want to make sure we set aside time for just the two of us. I really like this date night idea and I am going to use this jar to schedule two date nights per month.
Also, this year we will be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary and we would like to plan a vacation to a place that starts with the letter ‘B’. It can be a city or a country or it can be a stay-cation. I was thinking Brazil or Bangkok while Hubs is thinking we should just have a stay-cation.
Blogging
This blog is fairly new and I can not wait to see where it goes from here. One of my goals in regards to The Frugal Onion is to get at least three months ahead in posts. Getting ahead in blog posts will allow me to focus on other things needed for the blog and I could possibly venture out and do some guest posts on other blogs. Even though I want to have three months worth of posts lined up, I don’t want to lose quality just to say I completed this goal. Quality over quantity will always be the focus.
Let’s be realistic, people don’t blog just to post – they want to have their blog read and shared. The other goal I have for the blog is to increase traffic. I never really thought about how I was going to make it happen, but my plan is to focus on posting consistently and figuring out how to increase the traffic. Maybe SEO or Pinterest?
Finances
Every year the goal is to increase my net worth. While I would love for the clock to strike 12 on January 1 and I automatically be a millionaire, that’s not possible. So in order to reach millionaire status by 2030, I need an increase of about $77k (that is the minimum) every year for the next 13 years. This will happen through pure savings/investing unless I win the lottery or something. Increasing net worth by such a large number will take a lot of work. Expenses will need to be tracked, trimmed or taken away altogether.
I am debt free and saving consistently, so I need to create a long-term financial plan and will. This plan will address all aspects of my finances. I want to have a timetable of when I will purchase a house, retire and any career goals/changes (promotions) I plan to make happen. I also want to include my investing strategy. Which I will work on because right now I am more of a ‘let the investment manager do it’ kind of investor. Lastly, I want to draft a will because I want to make sure my family is protected. Who wants to work so hard to build wealth and create a certain lifestyle for their family and then leave them unprotected.
Career
This year I want to do something to better my career. I love my job, and see myself staying here for the next 10, 20, 30 years. However, there is always something to improve in regards to your career. Improvements can lead to stability and help you prepare for the next step. For 2018, I will be focusing on my learning and development. Maybe I will learn a new language or get another certification.
There you have it! Those are my goals for 2018.
What are your goals for 2018? Have you created a plan of action? Did you break it down into manageable daily tasks?