Writing out my goals was a doozy this year.

It is strange, isn’t it? To try and think ahead, prepare for, but still blindly walk into the unknown. Even though nothing is ever certain, attempting to dream about six months from now, much less a year from now seems a bit impossible. After a year where nothing went as expected, it seems as if we are treading lightly, tiptoeing through this year. While I have absolutely no idea how this year will end, I do know that regardless of uncontrollable circumstances, I can work towards achieving all those things that I want to do.

Once again, I used my Powersheets to narrow down what really matters to me in this year – an exercise I am more grateful for than ever! (I acquired an extra set of Powersheets this year – if you are interested in the goal planner I use, let me know and I’ll be happy to share more information!) Some goals are refocused from years past and some are continuations of lessons I’ve learned along the way. Here are the eight goals and inspiration board I’ve landed on for 2021!

2021 Goals

1. MAKE ROOM FOR GOD’S PRESENCE: I’ve grown to realize that I am always at my best when I am taking time to make my relationship with God a priority. My hope this year is to make room for God’s presence by adding it to a part of my routine and eliminating other distractions. My initial thoughts include completing devotions, writing the Word, and listening to worship music. My hope is keeping it simple will make it less of an overwhelming idea, and in turn, allowing me to just do it.
2. NURTURE MY MARRIAGE: Jody and I have spent a lot of time together this past year, which I’m insanely grateful for, but have let the mundane routines of daily life take control of our relationship. In all of the stress of 2020, we really let our quality time together take a back seat. Jody and I plan to be more creative in our date nights so that we still prioritize time with one another.
3. ACTIVELY PURSUE MAINTENANCE FOR MY HEALTH: I have developed some great routines that have been working for me in terms of eating healthy and exercising, but this year, I’m planning to include all aspects of my health, including mental health and skincare, for an overall healthy lifestyle.
4. CATCH UP ON MEMORY-KEEPING: This is a carry-over goal from 2020, and I would love to see more progress on this throughout this year. I have few more vacation travel photo albums to get caught up on, complete a backlog of my yearly albums, as well as tackling the daunting task of backing up all of my photos.
5. SPEND TIME DOING THE THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY: This seems like such a silly goal, but I know it will take effort to make realistic for me. At some point in my life, I dubbed myself “do-er of all the things”, which means I hardly ever have time to do the activities that I enjoy. My “Fires Me Up” page in my Powersheets has really encouraged me to take time to do what fills me up, rather than every single thing that usually burns me out anyway.
6. CARE FOR MY COMMUNITY: Admittedly, I almost left this goal off of my list this year because the unknown of what this looks like can be scary. However, going back to the aforementioned goal, spending time with my people is so good for the soul, so I want to ensure that I’m caring for them, despite what this year looks like. From game nights to happy mail to FaceTimes to celebrating growing families, I know I will never regret focusing some attention on those who support me.
7. COMPLETE HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS: We’ve been in our house for a little under a year and a half and still have a list of projects that we want to complete! While our back patio took a ton of our time and focus last year, I’m excited to tackle more of these projects!
8. GROW MY BLOG THROUGH MEANINGFUL CONTENT: My last goal includes this little corner of the internet 🙂 I am really proud of the work that I’ve put into this blog over the past few years, and I think it is time for me to define what my ultimate goal is with this space – continue it as a hobby or grow it into a business. While I will always love blogging for fun, I think I’d like to give the latter a go!

January Goals:

1. Brainstorm ways to add simple ways to make my faith more of a priority.
2. Discuss our 2021 Goals as a couple and decide how to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
3. Look into avenues to support my mental health.
4. Add two patches to my patch blanket.
5. Create my reading list for the year.
6. Visit with friends on a weekend getaway to Charlottesville (this weekend and I’m SO excited!)
7. Make an inspiration board for our first project of the year – stay tuned!
8. Post my 2021 Goals prior to January 31 🙂