Have you ever had a year you looked back on and thought I can’t believe I went through all of that!? Well, for me, last year was quite the doozy!
As I mentioned in my post 3 Ways Starting a Blog Can Be Beneficial, 2017 will go in the books as the most difficult year of my life…hands down!
My world was shattered to pieces. My core beliefs were tested. The vision I had for my future dissipated. It even got to the point where I questioned my own identity.
When you go through something like that, it either makes you crazy or lights a fire under you. For me, it makes me want to come back with a punch (maybe with a little bit of crazy sprinkled on top).
But enough with the drama….
I’ve determined 2018 to be my best year yet. Before the holidays were even over, I listed a series of goals I want to accomplish over the course of the year. On January 1st I hit the ground running.
I figured letting you know what I’m up to will make me accountable and…who knows?….give you some ideas of your own. 
Start the Year with a Challenge Kickoff
I love to start my year off with an organized challenge or two…or in this case, three…to get myself geared up for success. I merely identified the areas in my life where I’d like to see the biggest improvement and started looking for ways to put on the pressure.
For each challenge I joined a Facebook group with a similar mission. This makes me accountable for my choices and gives me sense of camaraderie.
If I ever get the hankering to quit, I know I will have to do so with everyone knowing. Personally, I do not want to be known as a quitter and am more likely to keep going if I realize my failure will be public.
To kick off 2018, I chose some challenges that I knew would get me started on the right foot.
Whole30
The idea of Whole30 is that you learn to break bad eating habits and develop new ones over the course of 30 days. The program forces you to read labels, break any addictions you have, quit opting for the “easy route” and give your body a reset.
Losing weight is not the priority of the program. In fact, they encourage you to put the scale away until the 30 days are up! I personally need to stop obsessing about my weight and solely focus on my health.
At this point, I am a week and a half into the program and absolutely love it so far! To be honest, I was dreading the idea of drinking coffee with no sugar and never thought it would be possible for me.
As we speak, I am enjoying a cup of black coffee…..BLACK COFFEE! I use to think only old men drink black coffee! It just goes to show you how effective Whole30 is in changing your eating habits.
Home Organization Challenge
First of all, if you aren’t already following A Bowl Full of Lemons with Toni Hammersley, then I suggest you get started! Her site is just about the only source you need when it comes to cleaning and organization inspiration.
Each year, she hosts a Home Organization Challenge that is designed to push you to get your home in order over the course of 14 weeks.
With the hopes of selling our house this coming spring, I knew it would be a good idea to get my home in tip-top shape!
I love that she has printable checklists to help you stay focused and complete your goal one step at a time.
Online Book Club
I came across a Facebook group/book club that would be diving into some self-help books I knew I needed in my life.
For example, we are starting off the year with the book Breathe, Mama, Breathe and, boy, do I need it! This book aims toward mothers who want to stop going about their day set on autopilot and learn to have more presence of mind.
Sometimes I can be so in my own head and out of touch with reality. Good reads help me refocus, give me inspiration, and help me keep it together…most days.
Goals for the Remaining Year
Of course, when the 14 weeks of the Home Organization challenge is over I’ll still have 38 weeks left to utilize. Some of my goals for this year include:
- Complete a Spartan Race
- Sell our home
- Start a business
- Have both of my sons potty trained
- Remove my acne scars (they’ve haunted me for so long!)
- Get into the habit/routine of starting each day with God. I cannot face this life without Him!
- Go to Disney World for the first time
- Learn to live with intention and develop a presence of mind
- Grow out my hair
As the year goes on I will, inevitably, add and remove goals from the list. The idea is to set a course so I can learn to live my life with more purpose.
So Basically…
You can expect to see me dive into new experiences and share my thoughts along the way. I feel that documenting my growth for you to see will fuel my motivation to become a better me.
I have so much in store for this year. Please continue to stop on by and check up on me. Leave a comment and let me know if you have some of the same goals in mind. I’d love to know what we have in common!