Ahhhh, the new year. A fresh start.
Although it may be totally stereotypical cringe, I always get very excited for a new year and make huge lofty goals for myself.
I’m definitely the kind of person who makes way too many goals and then gets super overwhelmed and perfectionistic anal about trying to reach them. This year, I am giving myself permission to not necessarily reach these on a whim, but rather, aim for slow and steady growth.
Here are my goals for this year. Can you relate at all?
Family/Marriage
– Date night twice per month with husband, even if it’s just game night/wine at home.
– Enjoy an amazing (delayed) honeymoon – Aruba in March 2024!!! I seriously cannot wait.
– Limit being on my phone when I’m around my son.
– Keep writing in my son’s baby book.
– Enjoy as much time with my stepdaughter as I can before she goes off to college.
– Swim lessons with my son! (The moment I have been waiting for – registering Miles for his very first class. Although he may only be 11 months old, I can’t wait to splash around with him at the water exploration class at our local YMCA.)
– Expose Miles to as many experiences as possible so he can see the world. And by this, I don’t mean traveling abroad (that is certainly not in the budget right now, lolz.) I mean, going for walks and getting him outside to intentionally explore the world around him. Making an effort to bring him along to places, even if it is a hassle. (Wisconsin winters, anyone?? Y’all don’t know the struggle until you bundle an 11-month old twice a day in this cold.)
Health/ Wellness
– Find the version of myself who loved moving her body. I used to workout on the reg (my proudest accomplishment is that I actually ran a full marathon in 2020), but since having my son, I have lost that part of myself. My goal is to intentionally move my body 3 times a week for 25 minutes. The rest will fall into place.
– Get back into therapy. It’s been awhile. Focus on healing my limited self-beliefs and boundary setting with my people-pleasing antics.
– Focus on drinking more water. My stepdaughter gifted me with my first Stanley bougie cup for Christmas, so hopefully it helps with this goal, lol.
Hobbies/ Self Care
– Yay for launching this blog! I am committed to posting once per week, but hoping to do more.
– Continue to grow my Instagram – I love it over there. (Follow me at @counselorchels)! I am hoping to engage 30 minutes per day to build a community. My niche is fellow moms and those who are invested in their own personal growth.
Financial
– Continue with my envelope system to pay for true expenses. I started doing this two years ago and it was a game changer. I put aside a certain amount of cash monthly in an envelope for true expenses, such as Car Repairs, Vet Bills, and Christmas Fund. Shoutout to the YNAB (You Need a Budget) platform for helping me get my finances in track.
– Continue to steadily build our savings.
– Get very clear on what my values are in terms of finances and follow through with a specific plan to reach my goals. For context on this, a few days ago, I journaled what my values are and reflected on where my money is going. I encourage you to do the same. Ask yourself if your money is being assigned to your values. For example, if traveling is important to you, are you concretely putting money aside each month to do so? Or are you investing too much into things that maybe aren’t as important to you, such as shopping trips? I highly recommend reading Jesse Mecham’s book You Need a Budget – it’s soooo good.
That’s all for now. Let me know what your goals are for 2024; I’d loooove to connect!
Peace and love, xo chelsea