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One thing I really struggle with is being overly ambitious with my goals and then being paralyzed by overwhelm or doing too many projects halfway. Can you relate?
This year, I have the solution. Check out the post to determine what your 5 Essentials should be this year.
That's my challenge to you this week. Take some time…. lots of time, to truly think about what's most important to you, and whittle your goals, hopes, and dreams down to your Top 5.
Eliminate everything else and go after those 5 with razor-sharp focus and reckless abandon.
I've shared my own 5 goals for the year on the blog too. Yikes! Now I have all of you to hold me accountable 🙂
Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to your best year ever!
~ Beth Anne
Beth Anne's Update
I started on my 5 goals on Monday this week, and I'm feeling great so far! Not overwhelmed, but even just those 5 goals are certainly challenging me.
Exercise – I've exercised for 20 minutes all but one day this week. I spent too long on work, and then I had to get ready for church. Totally my fault. I should have gotten up early to exercise instead.
I've done a combination of 20 minute jogs, weight-training, and circuit workouts from Pinterest. Making exercise a daily habit has definitely improved my energy and my mood. I also feel better about myself, and I think I've been eating a bit healthier as a result. See how one little goal and commitment can add up to other changes too? Pretty cool
Bible Time – Again, I did great on all but one day this week. I found a devotional book that was free for Kindle, and I'm enjoying it. Surprisingly enough, it was a different day than my non-exercise day.
Physical Therapy with Holden – I did great on all but one day this week, and you won't even believe it, but again, it was a totally different day than the other two!
Words of Affirmation to Chris – This one is going well! It feels a bit awkward or forced if I'm thinking about it too much, but in general having this commitment just makes me stop to appreciate how wonderful he is each day and find ways to tell him about it.
Business Income Goal – Well, it's no surprise that we didn't magically end up with 4 grand in our business account this week, but boy, have Sarah and I been working really hard on our very first product for BBM. Really, really hard. We have a really solid, detailed plan in place, and I can't wait to share it all with you guys in the future!
Overall, having my 5 goals, and no more, has really helped me to focus each day on what matters most. I'm not wishing I could eat 10 more fruits and veggies, read 5 books, teach Holden to read, and then feeling like a failure for everything I didn't do. Each day I know what my priorities are, and I have a plan for completing them. Plus, I'm looking forward to the day when some of these goals feel like easy habits, and I can add some new goals in their place. Simple is so helpful for me!
Sarah's Update
Hey, this is Sarah. Since Beth Anne already shared her 5 essential goals in her blog post, she told me it was now my turn to take the challenge and share my 5 essential goals. Yikes! To be honest, this is a bit tough for me, I'm more of a keep things to myself instead of a broadcast my plans to the world type of person. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that accountability from you guys might be just what I need, so here goes!
1. Grow the business to a profitable enough level where Beth Anne and I can take home $1,000 a month.
You'll notice that Beth Anne had a similar goal on her list. To be honest, when Beth Anne told me she had actually put dollar amounts in her post, I was shocked! I mean, do we really have to talk dollars here?
The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was ok to be truly upfront and honest with you, our community. Is profit our only motivator for this business? Absolutely not. Helping other women and moms succeed in business is our top priority. We have come to know many of you personally, and I love that! I honestly never really expected the personal connections we would develop when we started the podcast and blog, but I am so grateful for it. I love rooting for you and your success!
When we say that we want to help other women and moms succeed in business, do we mean that we only want you to succeed at building relationships and finding personal enjoyment from your business? We do want you to find that, but that's not the only thing we want for you. We want you to earn a profit! We want you to be able to take home a paycheck that helps you and your family and can be used to bless others, and that is what we want for ourselves as well.
Our business is new. Our podcast launch date was June 10, 2014. A business takes time to grow, and I didn't expect a profit from the get-go. Different types of businesses grow at different rates. But I think a reasonable goal for us is to expect a monthly take home check at the end of 2015. You'll notice my goal is less than Beth Anne's. I think that is reflective of our different personalities. I'm Ms. Practical and she is Ms. Go Big or Go Home! It works for us. (Most of the time!)
2. Lose 20 Pounds. (I really can't believe I am actual going to hit publish on this one!)
Yes, it's true. This has been on the list for many years and hasn't happened. It needs to happen this year! After all, when we are interviewed by the Today show, I want to look my best! 🙂 (Just kidding!) And believe me I am not one of those women who says she needs to lose weight when she really doesn't.
There was this awful girl on my college freshman hall who was super thin and beautiful and would always come in our room and say, “Do I look fat?” I really didn't like her; she was super fake. I however, am not super fake. So hold me accountable on this one ok? I could really use your help. I did get a Fitbit for Christmas, that might help too.
3. Read my Bible daily.
My faith is important to me, and I need to back that up with intentionally spending quiet time with God everyday. This was not a daily habit of mine in 2014.
4. Work with Sullivan on his numbers, letters, and writing.
I know he is only 4, but I feel like I really let this kid down in his early years! I read so much more to the girls than I did to him. I'm getting better now, but sometimes it feels like it's a little too late. He's a smart kid, but he's definitely behind where the girls were at his age. The transition to kindergarten for the girls was pretty easy academically because they were well prepared. I just want to give him a good start at school too. He won't go to kindergarten until 2016 (wow that sounds close!) but if I work with him over time, I know it will make a big difference.
5. Quality Family Time (I know this is vague, sorry!)
This year I want to intentionally carve out more time doing family activities together, or carve out true playing-with-the-kids time. It's so easy for spare minutes to get filled with house and business and weekends to fly by. I want do more with the kids, and do more as a family.
Mike is super involved and loves family activities, so he's on board. My friend Diane is great at taking her kids to all sorts of fun places, and I would like to try to be more adventurous like her, especially in the summer. Last summer seemed to fly by with very few special activities, and now that the kids are getting older, going fun places is that much more possible. We played outside a ton last summer, but mostly just in our backyard. Lilly will be 8 in March, I only have 10 more years with her at home to enjoy and soak up.
Things that did not make my list were a lot of things to do with the house. I enjoy tackling home projects, so this was a hard one not to include. Other things that didn't make the list were a big de-cluttering overhaul and eliminating as many processed foods as possible from our diet.
One thing I noticed as I created my list was that there was one thing I could do to help me accomplish so many of these goals. That is to stick to the morning and evening routine I created for myself after reading Ruth Soukup's new book Living Well Spending Less 12 Secrets to the Good Life.
Here is the routine I created in mid-December and have stunk at actually doing!
Morning
6:00 Wake Up
6:15 Exercise
6:50 Read Bible
7:00 Get in Shower
Evening
8:15 Kids in Bed
8:15 Do a little light business work including responding to emails, checking in on Facebook, etc.
9:00 Watch one show (this is usually Netflix)
9:45 Get ready for bed
10:00 Read
10:15 Lights Out
Completely reasonable schedule, right? No reason why I shouldn't be able to do this! Ideally I would like to wake up earlier, but I thought I would start small. Do you see how this schedule helps me to accomplish several goals? Right off the bat exercise helps me to lose weight, and reading my Bible accomplishes that goal.
In addition, I have set myself up to really tackle the day without needing to fit in exercise and Bible reading later. I've crossed off a lot of first-things-first items at the very beginning of my day. And quality time as a family, working with Sullivan, and growing the business all come down to managing my time well. I feel like this daily routine will really help me start my day managing my time well. Now all I have to do is actually do it!
So there you have it. True confessions. What about you? What are your 5 essential goals for this year?
-Sarah