Annual Goal Setting: Reflecting on 2016 and Strategizing for a Hopeful 2017

Each year, my approach to goal setting evolves, becoming more refined and effective. I find myself increasingly adept at formulating objectives that are both achievable and sufficiently specific, which in turn leads to a higher rate of accomplishment. While I don’t necessarily check off every single item on my list, I’ve come to embrace the understanding that not completing certain goals is an inherent part of the journey. This realization contributes significantly to my personal growth, teaching me to acknowledge that life often presents unforeseen circumstances and that extending grace to myself and others when plans shift is crucial.

Beyond the energizing thrill of a “new day, fresh start,” which always brings a sense of renewed potential, one of the aspects I cherish most about setting clear goals is the profound feeling that we are not simply drifting aimlessly through our days. Without intentional objectives, it’s easy to become blinded by daily distractions, losing sight of the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. By consistently keeping my gaze fixed on a point further down the road, I discover a remarkable ability to manage the immediate, day-to-day tasks with greater clarity and purpose. This foresight also helps me to navigate inevitable setbacks without succumbing to discouragement, maintaining a resilient and forward-thinking mindset.

My Guiding Word for 2017: HOPE

I have a personal tradition of choosing a single word to encapsulate my focus for the year, a practice I observed in 2012 and 2013. After a brief hiatus, the powerful word “Selah” found me in 2016, providing deep meaning and reflection. This year, I patiently awaited a new word, committed to selecting one only if it resonated truly and deeply within me, rather than just picking a phrase out of obligation. A few weeks ago, a profound word was impressed upon my heart – a word I feel came directly from a higher source, offering divine guidance and encouragement.

HOPE

Our family has been navigating several complex issues for quite some time now. You know those situations where challenges seem to persist indefinitely, and prayers appear to go unanswered? It can be a truly difficult and disheartening place to be. When prolonged trials set in, darkness can start to creep into your thoughts, leading to questions and doubts about the future.

However, I am firmly reminded that divine timing rarely aligns with my own expectations, and our story is far from over. While there are many aspects of these challenges that are beyond my control, I hold fast to the certainty that I can always pray, and I can always cultivate HOPE. My faith assures me, to the very core of my soul, that God is consistently present, unwavering in His support. To fully internalize and live out this guiding word throughout 2017, I plan to dedicate time to in-depth word studies, exploring the meaning of hope across various contexts. Additionally, I intend to read several books specifically focused on the theme of hope, aiming to deepen my understanding and strengthen my resolve during this significant year.

Reflecting on 2016: A Comprehensive Goal Recap

For 2016, I structured my goals across four distinct areas, setting multiple objectives within each. While this might appear extensive, many of these were either non-negotiable necessities, such as preparing and selling our house, or ongoing commitments that I strive to maintain annually, like personal fitness and reading. Looking back, I believe it’s most effective to identify just a couple of primary focuses each year. For me, in 2016, these core areas were:

• Prep & Sell House: This monumental task was successfully completed, marking a significant milestone for our family.
• Increase Blog & Business Income: We saw positive growth in this area, laying a strong foundation for continued efforts in the coming year.
• Become More Intentional with My Time: I feel I gained a valuable new perspective on time management and productivity. While it’s an ongoing discipline, the progress made has been impactful.

So, how did the year unfold in terms of these and other objectives? As is often the case with life and ambitious goals, the results were a mixed bag of triumphs and lessons learned!

Personal & Health Goals for 2016:

1. Goal: Move more! This included taking standing breaks throughout the day, adhering to a 3x/week workout routine, and adding a 2x/week walk or bike ride.
   Results: So-So. I diligently used the “Stand Up” app, reminding me to get up every 45 minutes, and consistently worked out three times a week with weights. However, extra walks were only occasional, and much to my dismay, bike rides, which I genuinely love, never materialized. Ironically, I compensated by moving a tremendous amount during the intensive process of getting our house and yard ready to sell!
2. Goal: Read 2-3 books a month, aiming for a better balance of fiction and non-fiction.
   Results: Met! I consistently read three books a month throughout the year. Stay tuned for a separate post where I’ll share my top five reads, which conveniently happened to be a delightful mix of both genres.
3. Goal: Establish a morning routine including a She Reads Truth devotional and incorporating a prayer journal.
   Results: Met. This routine proved to be an absolute lifesaver for me, providing essential grounding and peace amidst all the significant changes and transitions our family experienced during the year.

Relationships Goals for 2016:

1. Goal: Monthly date nights.
   Results: Met. Initially, it took some deliberate effort to get them consistently scheduled, but I’m thrilled to report that since September, we’ve actually been enjoying twice-monthly date nights, strengthening our connection.
2. Goal: Monthly kid dates.
   Results: So-So. Our son reliably joins us for dinner twice a month, which is wonderful. However, maintaining consistent individual dates with our daughter, who is away at college, proved to be more challenging than anticipated.
3. Goal: Regular coffee dates & dinners with friends.
   Results: Met. While this is always an ongoing area requiring intentionality, as it’s easy to let life’s busy pace sweep these connections aside, I made a conscious effort and successfully nurtured these friendships.

Home & Financial Goals for 2016:

1. Goal: Prep house to sell & put on market.
   Results: Met. Whew, we absolutely did it! This was a massive undertaking, and seeing it through to completion was incredibly rewarding and relieved a great deal of stress.
2. Goal: Fully fund emergency fund.
   Results: So-so. We made substantial progress and are currently about halfway to our target. This remains a high priority for 2017.
3. Goal: Save for a used car to replace our 20-year-old jeep.
   Results: Delayed. An interesting realization occurred to us: with both of us now working from home, we questioned whether we truly needed two vehicles. It felt like a “duh” moment! We decided we could likely manage as a one-car family for the foreseeable future. This means we’ll now slowly save for when our 2006 Escape eventually needs replacement, simultaneously saving money on insurance premiums and the general upkeep associated with a second vehicle.

Professional & Blog Goals for 2016:

1. Goal: Create products: menu plans, a planner, and more.
   Results: Unmet. This stands as my biggest regret for the year (notice how I’m consciously avoiding the word ‘fail’ there!). While I spent the entire year rigorously testing the planner – and still very much hope to release a version in the coming weeks! – the actual process of translating all the ideas floating in my mind into tangible, offerable products has truly stymied me. That, and the ever-present challenge of finding sufficient time to dedicate to development.
2. Goal: Improve photos & update old pictures and recipes.
   Results: Met. I worked steadily on this throughout the year, making noticeable improvements to the visual quality of the blog. While there’s still a significant number of older recipes awaiting updates, the progress has been consistent and impactful.
3. Goal: More videos.
   Results: Met. I successfully increased our video content, expanding our presence on visual platforms. You can explore them here on our YouTube channel.
4. Goal: Work on a newsletter.
   Results: So-so. I did send out a few updates and additional newsletters over the year. However, I recognize that greater consistency is needed to truly build a thriving email community and deliver consistent value to subscribers.
5. Goal: More emphasis on recipes (2 recipes a week), gardening (2x/month), and DIY-crafts-gifts (1-2x/month).
   Results: Hmmm… There certainly was a greater emphasis on recipes, though we consistently published one per week rather than two. Gardening content was likely more frequent, possibly weekly, rather than bi-monthly. Honestly, I had forgotten I laid out these content goals so specifically! It seems my actual implementation diverged slightly from this detailed plan in my goals planner.

Setting Intentions for 2017: Focused Goals for Growth

And now, with the invaluable lessons learned from 2016 firmly in mind, it’s time to unveil my goals for the new year. This time around, I’m opting for a simpler, more streamlined approach by combining personal health and relationship goals and committing to a concise total of just 12 goals for 2017. My primary strategic focuses for the year ahead are:

• Find/Build New House: A major life transition that will set the stage for our family’s next chapter.
• Financial Stability: This is a crucial area, aiming to recover and strengthen our financial foundation after several years of underemployment. This focus includes specific goals for retirement planning and income generation.
• Better Work-Life Balance: A continuous pursuit to ensure that professional endeavors complement, rather than overwhelm, personal well-being and family time.

Personal Goals for 2017:

1. Maintain Health: My objective is to shed the 5 pounds that have gradually crept back on, doing so naturally using real foods and absolutely no restrictive diets. This also includes consistent weight training three times a week and walking 2-3 times per week to ensure overall physical well-being.
2. Read 40 Books: Building on last year’s success, I aim to slightly increase my reading challenge to 40 books, continuing a balanced mix of genres for continuous learning and enjoyment.
3. Find a Ministry Area: I hope to discover and actively invest in a ministry area at our church, perhaps something flexible like mentoring or another service opportunity that aligns with my schedule and gifts.

Home & Financial Goals for 2017:

1. Find/Build a New Home! The ultimate goal is to secure or construct a new residence that offers both a low mortgage burden and minimal maintenance requirements, ensuring long-term financial peace.
2. Fully Funded Emergency Fund: Building on last year’s progress, achieving a completely funded emergency savings account is a top financial priority to provide security and peace of mind.
3. Ramp Up Retirement Funding: It’s time to significantly boost our retirement savings. This goal includes meeting with a financial advisor to develop a robust and strategic plan for our future.

Blog & Business Goals for 2017:

1. New Site Design + Refinement: An exciting project already in progress, this involves a comprehensive overhaul and fine-tuning of the blog’s aesthetic and user experience to make it even more engaging and intuitive.
2. Create Products: My aim is to develop and launch valuable digital and physical products designed to genuinely help our audience live better, simpler, and more beautiful lives. This addresses last year’s unmet goal with renewed focus.
3. Attend a Conference: This particular goal pushes me significantly out of my comfort zone, as conferences haven’t traditionally been “my thing.” However, I recognize the immense value in networking and learning, making it a crucial, albeit scary, objective.
4. Increase Video Focus: I plan to expand our presence and engagement through video content, specifically by intensifying our efforts on YouTube and experimenting more with Facebook Live sessions.
5. Make Newsletter More Personal: The goal is to transform our newsletter into a more intimate and valuable communication channel, offering exclusive content and fostering a stronger sense of community with our subscribers.
6. Learn Affiliate Marketing: To diversify and increase our income streams, and to reduce our reliance on advertising revenue, I am committed to learning and implementing effective affiliate marketing strategies.

These 12 goals, meticulously chosen and thoughtfully structured, feel genuinely achievable and exciting to me. A few of them inherently push me beyond my usual comfort zone, which I view as a positive catalyst for growth. Others are already well underway, demonstrating initial momentum. While I haven’t detailed every granular step here, each goal is rooted in specific and measurable criteria – for instance, our financial objectives are tied to concrete dollar amounts. This allows us to effectively break them down into practical, manageable small steps, ensuring steady progress throughout the year.

Do you make a few yearly goals? Or perhaps choose a guiding word for the year? I’d love to hear what they are!

Curious about how these annual aspirations have evolved? Explore previous years’ goals and words of the year through these links:

• 2016 goals and word
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013 goals and word
• 2012 and word (my first word of the year)
• 2011
• 2010 (my very first goal-setting endeavor!)