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Every year we seem to create resolutions or goals, either for a month at a time or for the year...

Anyone game to do it again this year?

I've started mulling over my goals for the year.  Some are very concrete while others are more nebulous but no less important. ;)

Yes, I'd love to declare my goals and track my progress.   :D  I am mulling them over, too, because I want to make them realistic.

As of right now, my goals are pretty basic:

1.) Get a new job.
2.) Move into our new house.
3.) Work out regularly.
4.) Continue to save $$$.
5.) Make some new friends.

So far my practical goals include things like working out a stretching routine, going to ballet 2-3 times a week, trying new vegetarian main dish recipes and increasing our savings rate.  I'll come up with specifics, but those are some of my ideas.

Others involve things like figuring out how to simplify my things and surroundings (an on-going process/battle for me) and figuring out how to live more peacefully or on a more even keel day  to day.  Hmmm....

What kinds of things are you girls thinking about as 2008 rolls around?  Health?  Family?  Career?  Finances?  Spirit?

It is always hard for me to post specific goals, but here goes:

1. Get back on track with managing my student debt.
2. Get a job - one that will feel fulfilling as well as provide Health & Dental benefits.
3. Manage to start saving enough money so that when we run in to cash flow problems at the shop it   
    doesn't create a personal crisis.
4. Manage to keep our home better organized.

I think it would be great if we all posted back later about our goals and try to support each-others progress.

That's a good idea Jen! And we should definitely do that........check back in.

let´s see:

Financial: continue lowering my debt. Get at least $1K average per month in translations

Health: take better care of myself. I´ve been neglecting myself for the sake of paying off debt...now that things are better financially, I feel I need to switch the focus a bit ...Example? I want to get my new glasses- prescription changed....I thought it had been 3 months since I got the new prescription, but, guess what? It´s been 6 months!...so, I´ll try to do that today (pick the new frames and order the new glasses).... then I want to go to the dentist (FEb, probably)... AND, as usual, I want to lose 22 lbs...and, no, it´s not an ADDITIONAL 22 lbs, it´s the SAME 22 lbs as last year! oy!!

Family: same as above, I want to take better care of my family....spend more time with Ale....

These are it for now....pretty much the same as last year, I guess!

Sometimes I think just talking about things helps create enough energy to actually make it happen; DH and I increased his 401k savings rate by 1% yesterday.  I don't think we'll feel a big difference in the take-home pay, but if we do we'll make adjustments.  I'd still like to save a bit more on my end each month, but this is a big step in the right direction for us. :D

My 2008 Goals:

Exercise at least 3 times/week (preferably more, but 3 should be achievable no matter what else is going on);
Write down my concrete, rooted in reality, debt reduction plan and monitor it monthly;
Focus on having moments with my family instead of letting the to-do list get in the way of a 1/2 hour of fun. Remember that the dishes and laundry will still be there and to go outside and throw the football for a while.

My 2008 Goals..

Continue to build my business
exercise regularly for health and to lose weight
Buy a home
Spend more time with family and friends
Make a new frantance( more than an aquatance... but not quite a friend) every week.

Can you believe one month has already gone by?  :O  How are you all doing with regards to your goals?  Let's hear the good, the bad and the null set. ;)

1.) I got and started the new job.
2.) If all goes as planned, we will be closing on our new out in the next couple of weeks.
3.) Have totally slacked off on #3.
4.) Still doing well with #4
5.) Have to work on #5 as well.

I'm still not stretching regularly but am stretching some.  Ballet has been once a week and three times a week; I'd like the once a week to be at least twice a week, but sometimes it just can't be helped.  I've only tried one new vegetarian meal, although I did make some good homemade mac n cheese last night. :D  Savings is up and I'm still looking for ways to improve that, but I'm not worried about it. 

As for the simplifying - things have felt really messy for me this month, literally and figuratively, so I'm still really focusing on that.  I had a mini-breakthrough recently regarding being in control and the illusion of control, and that felt good.

I continue to work on control, or rather, letting go of it and perhaps even realizing that I don't have it in the first place.  It's a tricky issue for me - always has been, and I need to get a handle on it.

I've been to ballet 15 times since the new year began, which comes out to about twice a week on average.  A couple of weeks with just one class really bring down the average.  Grr...  But I went twice last week and should be able to go three times this week, and then twice again next week.

Tried a new recipe yesterday and liked it, which is a plus. ;)

Need to stretch more - more often, and for more minutes.  I feel like the stiffest person in the room in class and it's embarrassing.  I fear that I will never get really flexible, but I can do more to help myself with that before I resign myself to anything.  I'm taking a stretch class this week in place of a regular class, which should be extremely challenging for me.

I'm doing well on the exercise goal and the financial goal; the time with family/play with family goal is a bit more elusive. 

Setting goals is great, but...

I'd like to see people get away from thinking that goals need to be an annual thing - something to think about each January/February.  For true self-improvement goals can (and should) be set throughout the year. 

A website in early stages of development that can help with setting/tracking goals is http://www.KeepMeHonest.com (http://www.KeepMeHonest.com)

Hence the periodic check-ins and self-reflection here.  Did you stop by just to tell us we're doing it all wrong, or to promote your site?

Sorry, no I don't think you're doing it wrong & didn't mean to imply that.  I just thought the site might be another tool that could be used...

One goal that I want to focus on right now is paying my bills on time to improve my credit score.

I'm doing well in the "pay off debt" part....
spending more time with family is a bit more difficult (since I'm working more!)
losing the weight is proving to be the most difficult one!  :hammer:

Progress reports anyone?  How are things going?


I've tried a couple of new vegetarian recipes, but I'm hoping to try 2-3 per month and not 2-3 per year. ;)

Ballet - I've been aiming for 2-3 classes a week, so pretty good on that goal.  I go when I can; it's only when I physically can't go due to illness or a conflicting obligation that I can't get out of that I miss a class.  My stretching is hit-or-miss.

Simplification - I'm hoping that if I bring fewer things into the house it will help the process.  It doesn't do me any good to clear out clutter only to bring more stuff home.  I'm trying to help DD too.  A few things have been lost lately, and I take that as a sign that something isn't working well.

Balance, living on an even keel - my consciousness is still heightened about this, so I think that's a step in the right direction.  I'm trying to live with a more open and giving heart.

Updates for me:
goal #1:  Not met.  I made a great 2 week effort and then stopped.
goal #2:  Met.  Am following the plan and seeing results.
goal #3:  Always trying!  this was a good reminder.

While lying awake most of last night I had some thoughts about my time and how I spend it.  I'm starting to feel like I need more time at home - more time to help straighten up, more time to help get a good dinner on the table, more time to get DD into a comfortable bedtime routine that gets her to sleep on time.... and it's making me wonder if my taking ballet fits into all of this anymore at the frequency I've been going.  Or, perhaps it will if I can step back from some other activities.  I think I have had five meetings this month alone for my committee work at church.  :(  It's not as though I'm a retired empty-nester here!  but every time I see DD's room a mess, or the house, or DD not getting enough sleep, I feel guilty and feel as though I'm letting everyone down as a parent and partner. 

Jen, this is something that I struggle with too. In fact, I think all mothers do, whether or not they work outside of the home, volunteer their time in various ways, or just have any other things in their life that take time away from their family.

It is really hard to juggle everything as a Mom, despite having the best intentions, and the greatest spousal support, it still is hard to over-come the "mommy guilt." When we do take some time out for ourselves,  no matter how hard we try, some things do get pushed back, like cleaning that room, or putting that last load of laundry away...

But, I think we need to look at it like this: by investing time in our own selves, we are going to be happier, less stressed, and therefore, better mothers and wives... I also remember reading somewhere, that when kids grow up they do don't remember always having the cleanest house in the neighborhood, but they do remember whether their parents were "really there" or over-stressed with their minds racing about everything else that needs done.
 
If ballet makes you happy (and it sounds like it does) then you really need to keep doing that, for yourself. Maybe stepping back from some of your church committee work is not a bad idea if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

It is really hard, but I have had to learn to just say "No" when I am invited to yet another jewelry party, or asked to bake something for another bake sale, and to carefully state exactly what I am willing to do, and how much time I am willing to donate, when volunteering for things such as my son's teams, school events, etc.

Again, I think this is something all of us Mom's struggle with, so try not to let the guilt take the pleasure out of the things you enjoy.  :love:

Thanks for your perspective Jenn.  I do need to find ways to say no more often so that I can feel good about the things I say yes to.  So much has felt like an obligation lately, and it has been hard to say no.  There's more to come still, but I feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm feeling better in ballet finally - it was a few weeks there where I was really down on myself and the whole process, but that funk seems to be passing, thankfully. :)  Work has been particularly trying and challenging as well, and that weighs me down.

Here are mine

1. Of course the typical LOSE freaking WEIGHT
2. Save money
3. Move the hell out of my mom's house!
4. GET A CAR (that should be number 1)
5. Continue on my road to sobriety
6. Get married. (A girl can dream can't she?  :smileflower:)

1. Train for that marathon in January 09
2. Save some more cash...I am thinking on a splurge to Europe in 09
3. Get a new job that is more challenging!
4. Keep generating business for my side project
5. Staying motivated!  :yipee: