New Year, New Goals

I'm a sucker for a new year. There's just something about starting fresh that inspires me to want to reset, commit to goals and just attack the year with positivity and motivation.

Easier said then done. 

But this year is different, because instead of just setting goals (I refuse to call them resolutions), I am putting plans against them. It's so much easier to be successful when you have plans and not just ideas.

I'm excited for this coming year! I'm in a new job, I feel like I'm getting the hang of this "mom" thing, we're healthy, happy. Life is good.

And while I'm a firm believer in being happy with what you have, it's also important that if you aren't happy with something in your life, YOU are the only person who can change it.

I thought about the areas of my life that I worry about the most, or that I'm not happy with, and the things I could do to change them, if anything.  

All that being said, here are my goals in 2016, in no particular order:

1. Call my family more

I've always been close to my family, but admittedly, we aren't always the best at communicating. Sure, we text, and email and talk on the phone, but sometimes, a few weeks will go by without any communication! Not cool.

Now that I'm a parent, I can't imagine what it will be like in 18+ years and not seeing my kids every day ... or talking to them every day! So this year, I vow to not only call my parents more, but my sisters and friends. They are all too important not to talk to frequently, to let them know I'm thinking of them or that I love them.

2. Self-improvement

Broad, I know, but let me

One of my biggest weaknesses is that I'm really hard on myself. I tend to focus on the negative, I worry and have anxiety about things I can't control, and I tend to keep it to myself when something is bothering me.

So not only will I work on improving myself mentally (sounds strange?) but physically, too. I'm still hanging on to 15 lbs of baby weight, and I hate it. I feel like my skin is wrinkly and aging, and I'm not doing small things like washing my face at night... seems small, but it's just one example of how I'm not taking care of myself. 

I am not happy with how I look or feel, and I'm finally motivated to get truly serious about doing something about it. So, I'm starting with the 21-day-fix (full blog post to come). I'm waiting for my materials to come in the mail and can't wait! I've heard such great things about the Beachbody programs, so YAY for some results (hopefully!) 

In addition, I'm excited to announce that I am joining Rodan & Fields as a consultant! I've used their products for years and they are amazing. The company is amazing, the products sell themselves and I figured I had nothing to lose. Another post to come on this, too!

3. Move into a new home

We knew when I was pregnant with Liam that our time in our current home was limited. It's a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo in an awesome neighborhood, and the three of us (and Addy) fit here just fine. 

But, having only two bedrooms eliminates our ability to comfortably host guests, which I hate, especially because our family and many close friends live out of town. Not only that, but now we host a nanny share for Liam and another little boy. Our living room is over-run with toys, we have a pack 'n play set up in our bedroom 24/7, there's no place for us to work at home when we have the option...the list goes on. 

So this year, our goal is to buy a new home, or at the very least start the process!

4. Reduce debt by 50%

Unfortunately, in 2014,we acquired some debt. I'm going to save all the dirty details, but between me being unemployed for a few months and having Liam, we had to use quite a bit of savings and also use credit cards for some big purchases. We've been working to get ahead on those and are close, but still need to make some more progress before we can even think about buying a new home.

I have plans in terms of payments in the coming months, but I'm also working toward this goal in tandem with my self-improvement goal, as I hope to earn some residual income from my R&F business, and maybe even as a coach for Beachbody!

5. Grow blog and writing presence

And finally, I want to continue to feed my true passion, which is writing. In 2015, I saw such great feedback from all of you with my writing, and also saw some validation in that in becoming a Huffington Post blogger, and being featured on Scary Mommy. I only want to do more with this space this year, freelance more and just continue to grow as a writer.

2015 was an amazing year of change and growth. Here's to that and more in 2016!

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