A New Year and a New Start

I love planning for a new year. The idea that you can start fresh, with a new calendar or planner. Not that you can't start fresh any day of the year, but there is just something about the new year, or even the new school year, that really gets you thinking about a refresh. For me, the holiday season is just so busy and full of abundance, that by the time the new year rolls around, I'm ready for simplicity and a fresh start. So I'm starting 2023 off with a clean slate, and a new set of goals.

To start, I chose my word of the year. This is not something you have to do, but I do think it's a great way to help guide your goals and the decisions you make over the year.

The last few years have been challenging. A lot of things happened that we could not control, and as a person who loves order and control, it's been very hard for me to navigate through these challenges.

My faith has been challenged so many times, and I've had many conversations with God on -- why do these things happen? And why do they all seem to happen at once. You think you have just overcome an obstacle, and then a new one comes along. 

I came across the verse "Be content in all circumstances" (Philippians 4:11) which has helped bring me peace that I can still live a happy life, even if things aren't going perfectly to my plan at the moment.

As well as, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11) which is a great verse for those who are learning how to give control to God, because his plans really are bigger than ours. 

My word of the year is:

My goal is to find joy in all things, big and small, and in all circumstances, even if they are not how I'm expecting things to go.

This will allow me to be intentional with my goals, with the choices I make over the year. If it doesn't bring me joy, then it's probably not the right decision for me. 

Now this doesn't apply to things like...does buying groceries or doing the laundry bring me joy...not really...so I'm not going to do it. And obviously I'm not going to do anything illegal. But when it comes to simplifying our life, I'm going to take a hard look at what brings our family joy, what's worth investing in, versus what might not be a good fit for us. 

In regards to my goals for the year, I have placed them into 3 categories and limited them to 6 goals per category. 

Life // Home // Personal

Life:

-- Try new recipes - at least 1 per month

-- Get organized with daily use of my planner and my new Alexa Show (a future post to come on this)

-- Establish a morning routine the causes a much smoother morning and allows myself and the kids to get ready and out the door at a reasonable time, with limited meltdowns by all!

-- Take a family trip 

-- Explore our city 

-- Date nights (or days) with Rick - hoping at least 1x quarter 

Home:

-- Declutter each room 

-- Touch up paint to refresh our space

-- New light fixture in our living room 

-- Create a creative/personal space to relax, recharge, dream and be creative (more to come on this as well)

-- Kitchen makeover - I'm not sure if this will really happen this year or not...pending the next goal

-- Buy a new home - we would love to buy a new home this summer, before Matthew goes to kindergarten this Fall

Personal:

-- Work on my photography skills

-- Plant a flower garden from seeds

-- Read/Listen to 24 books

-- Create photo albums for years 2018 - 2022

-- Continue to grow my faith through bible studies - goal is to complete 5

-- Share my journey here on the blog and Instagram

I'm planning to re-evaluate each quarter to see what I was able to complete, or if any of my goals need to pivot, or are not relevant any more. Or maybe I find a new goal I would like to work towards. My hope is that these goals can be flexible and fluid and can adapt to our lives and whatever circumstances come up. I think where people fail with goals is when they try to stick to goals that are not attainable or the right fit. And then you just give up, which is why most people fail at their resolutions by February. 

I created this goal tracker to help keep my goals handy so I can refer back to them easily. If you are interested in downloading, you can right click and save as to download.

And as a reminder, you can do all things through Christ which strengthen me (Philippians 4:11).

Cheers to a new year of learning, growing and encouraging one another. May we listen less to our fears and more to our dreams in 2023!!