Goals-ish

One of my favourite lectures that I delivered to my first-year students last term was on goal-setting. “I love goals,” I told them, “Like, a lot. So today is going to be really exciting for me. And for you.” (But mostly me. It’s very hard trying to muster any sort of excitement over 5-year plans when your students are in Week 9/nearing finals and class is at the ‘early’ start time of 10 am. I digress.)
Naturally, I was looking forward to considering my goals for the new year. When I set out to write my 2017 goals, I compiled an ambitious list of 17 things to get done by the year’s end, kind of like what I did in 2015. 15 in 2015 had the most delightful ring to it, and it didn’t seem impossible to create 17 goals for myself.
And it wasn’t – by the end of December, I had 17 new things that I wanted to start/try/complete. I was ready to crush through my goals to prove that things are getting accomplished in 2017. (Side note: I sound very Vancouver saying “goal crushing.” I am aware of it. Let’s move on.) Visit x place in Oregon? Let’s do that. Conquer your fear of barre and go to the studio in Corvallis? On the list. After reaching 17 bullet points in my journal, I had two realizations: one, the list I was building wasn’t so much goals as it was a bucket list. And two, 2017 is a year unlike any other.
2017. Knowingly or not, I have waited forever for this year to come. Well, this type of year. No major job applications. No school applications. I know where I’ll be living the entire year, and I know what’s coming up next. And if you know me well, you know how much I love everything about this. 2018 will be a hot mess when all of this goes out the window, but for now, I’m ready to soak in 2017. Which for me meant condensing my goals into only the essentials this year – the good stuff, if you will –  along with devising a bucket list that will have me enjoying every moment of this precious year.
MY 2017 GOALS
  • Get outdoors. Be intentional about this throughout the week/when I’m busy/during the winter.
  • Worry less. So much easier said than done, right?
  • Focus my time and energy on those who matter most to me. Try not to worry about the rest. On the same thread – be open to meeting new people while in this very new home of mine.
  • Cultivate healthy habits – drinking more water, scheduling time into my schedule to exercise, and taking the time to cook more often.
  • Document the year creatively.
 
MY 2017 BUCKET LIST
  • Read at least five books that are not required coursework. Recommendations, anyone?
  • Prepare a list of 30 easy-to-make recipes to have on rotation. Find a way to organize these recipes for easy reference.
  • Complete another Whole30.
  • Attempt to see all Seven Wonders of Oregon over the summer. Who wants to come?
  • See Yosemite.
  • Try bullet journalling. (I actually got a head start on this one, and am obsessed. It’s the most ‘me’ activity I’ve ever known, being a journal/planner/to-do list. I love it!)
  • Write 30 letters. Want a letter? Message me your address and you’ll get one nicely handwritten letter, whether we’re living near or far. (Credit to Leslie for letting me peek into her goals and stealing this one.)
  • Find a spin studio in Portland that I like.
  • Try Barre3 in Corvallis. (Why does this seem so intimidating?! I just need to GO.)
  • Find a blog platform that I actually like. (Because WordPress enjoys throwing a good tantrum any time I use it. Just me?)
 
It’s 2017! I can’t quite believe it.

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