Goal Setting and Believing in Ourselves in 2019

The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself.

-Maya Angelou

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We have arrived at one of my favorite times of year!

Though I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I always look forward to the clean, fresh restart that January brings. I LOVE cleaning out and reorganizing my house, reflecting on the past year and setting an intention for the next year.

First on my goal list was making all of the changes to my office that I’ve been wanting to make since we moved into this house a year ago. Anyone just get crazy about getting things done this time of year?! Haha! So here’s your first peek at the New & Improved office!

(Special shout-out to my husband who drew me some fashion sketches based on vague things in my head and also helped me organize my 2019 vision board!)

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Now let’s get into the meat of this goal-setting process. I actually prefer the phrase “setting intention for the year” vs. goal-setting because I tend to do more general mindset goals than specific goals- that way I don’t have the frustrating feeling of not meeting them, and I get to think on my intention for the whole year.

Here’s how my reflection process usually looks- it’s super simple!

• Make a list of things that worked well (or things I loved in 2018). Here’s an example of some of the things I loved in 2018:

  • Starting a style blog

  • Carving out time for weekly date nights with my husband

  • Switching jobs

  • Special dates with all of my nieces and nephews

• Make a list of things that didn’t work so well in 2018.

  • Putting too much on my plate and being easily overwhelmed

  • Cooking healthy meals

  • Weekly social commitments

  • Saying No or hanging back out of fear

• Use those lists to help you decide what you would like to focus on (and get rid of) in 2019.

Obviously, my lists are much longer in real-life, but I just wanted to give you an idea to get things going. I typically like to look at all aspects- business/work, personal, social, etc. and really do some reflection. My husband and I also always like to sit down together and brainstorm ideas about where we want to go both individually and together- it’s one of my favorite date nights of the year! :)

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There’s my “quick and easy” formula to help you reflect a bit in the New Year! Now, to get a little more vulnerable about what my intention for this year is and hopefully inspire you to set your own!

I’ve been reading Jen Sincero’s You Are A Badass , and it’s just giving me all the drive to unapologetically be exactly who I am and go after exactly what I want. Which already feels so freeing! As an Enneagram 6, I am very familiar with fear and worst-case scenarios. I limit myself and fear the worst in most situations, and it truly has never served me well. I can look back on so many parts of my life where I wish I would have just let go, been free, and enjoyed myself.

So, my intention for the year is to flip the narrative on it’s head and live by the phrase “What if it’s better?” What if the life I will have this year is even better than the life I could imagine? What if the way God thinks about me and loves me is even better than I could fathom (side note: it most certainly is!)? What if I’m actually doing better than I feel like I am?

I have exhausted myself with a lifetime of “what if’s” in the worst ways, and I’m over it. Because it’s true that the worst could happen. BUT the best could also happen. And I’m not fixing anything or alleviating any suffering by preparing for the worst- I am only robbing my current joy. Have you ever noticed how much lighter you feel just be being grateful for the present and believing in the best for the future?

I believe I’m just going to use that motto to live by instead of picking one word, but I also have the word COURAGE floating around in my head as I think about this year. I have to actively choose to do the things that push me outside of my comfort zone- which by the way, ALL OF THIS blogging stuff is WELL outside of it already- in order to create the life that I have always dreamed of. To go after the things that make me feel like I am my truest self. To begin to trust and believe in myself.

So, this year, I vow to push and to try and to fail and to learn and to absolutely freaking LIVE. Because what is it even all worth if we don’t? Ain’t no time for fear and stagnation. I believe we all have the power to create the lives we dream of, but we better be willing to show some gosh darned courage.

To 2019!! It’s our YEAR people!

I genuinely hope and pray for the absolute best year of each of your lives!