This year my goals were a little more difficult to pick than normal. I had trouble pin-pointing my One Word challenge word even, which is usually the easiest and most fun for me. Its been a bit of a crazy year and so that's likely one of the main reasons that trying to figure out what's next was so hard. After weeks of back and forth I ended up with the following:

Financial:

1. Credit card debt free by the end of 2021.
2. 800+ Credit Score by the end of 2021.
3. Emergency Fund of 2-3 months fully funded by the end of 2021.
4. Begin to save for needed home updates: paint, fencing, bathroom door & baseboards.

Spiritual:

1. Complete the F260 Reading Plan.

Health & Wellness:

1. Work out for at least 20 minutes a day, 4 days per week.
2. Lose 50 pounds before the end of the year.
3. Take time for self-care weekly.

Social & Recreational:

1. Make time to socialize with friends on a monthly basis.
2. Purchase a grill (half funded sinking fund in 2020) and host a backyard cookout with friends.

Relationship & Romance:

1. Remain open to a new relationship.

Career & Business:

1. Create a weekly plan that allows for me to write more blogs and keep to a consistent posting schedule.

Education & Personal Development:

1. Learn to do V-lookup tables.
2. Read at least 6 new books before the end of the year.

Household & Home Life:

1. ​Keep Bella’s anxiety under control.
2. Be ‘one ahead’ on household items consistently.
3. Install garage storage (half funded sinking fund in 2020).
4. Decide on landscaping needs and save for re-doing the front lawn.

Until next time,

Until next time,

I've had a pretty good year this year for the most part. There were definitely some dips in there and I didn't accomplish everything that I had hoped to have accomplished by now but that's ok, its life. I wanted to do a quick run down updating you on where I stand now and what the plan for the rest of the year is.

One Word Challenge
My word for this year was "Growth"... and I really wanted to change it about two months ago but stuck with it. I think that part of growing is learning about yourself and re-evaluating how you live... and that's what I've been doing, so it still fits. I plan on continuing with this word and continuing to work on eliminating stress and making time for what is actually important in my life. ​

Financial
Goal #1: Pay off $5,000 in debt before December 31, 2019.

• Set back due to needing new floor but still working towards this!

​
Goal #2: Lower Expenses (4 parts)

• Lower monthly expenses through budgeting and lower/removing unnecessary bills.
  • Done
• Make home and habits more energy efficient.
  • Done 
• Finish paying off cell phone (Last payment in June 2019) and cancel additional features of plan in June when allowable.
  • Done
• Minimize eating out and costly entertainment options.
  • Work In Progress

Health & Wellness
Goal #1: Get under 200 pounds before June 30, 2019.

• Did Not Complete

​Goal #2: Incorporate the app "Zombies, Run!" alongside basic weight training.

• Partial

​Goal #3:  Take my medications on time each day and make sure I am being proactive in lifestyle necessities to live my best life.

1. Work In Progress

Goal #4: Make, and take, time for your health every day through self-care, drinking water, skin care and stretching.

• Work In Progress

​
Relationship & Romance
Goal #1: Remain open to the possibility of a wonderful person entering your life. Be proactive in meeting people but also live your best life while single.

• Work In Progress

​
Education & Personal Development
Goal #1: Read twelve non-fiction books in 2019.

• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
• Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear
• The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life by Leo Babauta
• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works- A True Story by Dan Harris
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Career & Business
Goal #1: Complete the TESOL-VIPKid Certification (30 Hours) before June 30, 2019.

• Complete

Goal #2: Continue to work on the blog.

• Put On Pause Temporarily- But I'm Back (Again, sorry guys, this year has been tough)

​Goal #3: Create a YouTube channel to help parents understand 'new' math strategies that are being taught in elementary and middle school.

• Put On Pause to Create RLH YouTube Channel

Goal #4: ​Enroll in and complete a basics of SEO class before the end of the year.

• Work in Progress

Goal #5: ​Complete an approved TESOL course by July 2019 (for the teaching of Chinese students online- new legislation).

• Complete

Social & Recreation
Goal #1: Host a housewarming party at the new house in the first quarter of the new year.

• Cancelled

Spiritual
Goal #1: Get into the Bible daily for 25 out of 30 days in each month.

• Failed

Financial

1. Pay off $5,000 in debt before December 31, 2019.
2. Minimize eating out and costly entertainment options. 
3. Get 1 month ahead on all bills.

Spiritual

1. Place membership with a congregation.
2. Start a self-study.
   
   

Health & Wellness

1. Get under 200 pounds before August 30, 2019.
2. Incorporate the app "Zombies, Run!" alongside basic weight training into my routine. 
3. Take my medications on time each day and make sure I am being proactive in lifestyle necessities to live my best life.
4. Make, and take, time for your health every day through self-care, drinking water, skin care and stretching.
   
   

Social & Recreation

1. Decide which activities I want to keep in my life going forward within 2 months.
2. Make time to socialize with friends on a monthly basis.

Relationship & Romance

1. Remain open to the possibility of a wonderful person entering your life. Be proactive in meeting people but also live your best life while single.

​
Career & Business

1. Continue to work on the blog. 
2. Grow my RLH YouTube channel by posting consistently 3-5 times per week.
3. ​Enroll in and complete a basics of SEO class before the end of the year. 
4. Start planning the LHM YouTube content to start next year.

Education & Personal Development

1. Read twelve non-fiction books in 2019.

​
Household & Home Life

1. ​Get Isabel’s anxiety under control.
2. Transition back to homemade household cleaning supplies.

That's it for now, check out the video above for a more in depth walk through (and subscribe to my channel!).

​Until next time,

This will be the first quarterly goals update I've posted on the blog. Last year I simply added and removed goals on the main page as they were completed but I realized that was likely confusing for anyone trying to follow along with my goal completion so I'm hoping this method will be easier. It will also allow me to expand upon any difficulties I'm having or celebrations of completions. So, here we go!

My "One Word" for this year is "Growth" and to be perfectly honest I haven't been doing a great job with my focus on it this quarter. I did keep up with most of the trackable things that I had decided would help me 'grow' such as reading non-fiction books and working on this blog but the daily focus on the word in every aspect of my life? Not so much. I'm going to work on this for quarter 2. I think that the reason for this lack of focus was simply that it was out of sight so therefore 'out of mind' so I am going to print off and place the word in my environment both at home and at work. I had done that in previous years but failed to do that this year for some reason and, well, the results speak for themselves.

I've got a lot of goals, that's true, but they aren't all ones that I will do in a single month or even quarter but rather are goals that I think will lead me towards creating the life that I want. They get added to the list or removed as circumstances change or as they are completed. I was able to cross a few off the list due to completion or removal this quarter but most are still 'In Progress' and one is still in the category of "Not Started."

That's it for this goal's update... not a ton is 100% accomplished yet but I'm happy with the progress I'm making. 

​Until next time,

 Part of taking care of my health is making sure to take time to de-stress, refresh and do all the small tasks required for me to feel my best. Thinking on that this evening while meal prepping caused me to decide to add another goal to my “Health & Wellness” section. It’s simple: “Make, and take, time for your health.”

This will encompass lifestyle things I have been meaning to do or have neglected to do in the past. Some of those things:

1. Use a mask at least once a week for relaxation and better skin.
2. Use moisturizer daily to help with skin elasticity and wrinkle prevention.
3. Give dry brushing a try for better lymphatic system function.
4. Drink more water!
5. Stretch at least 3 times per week.

... and etc. The sub-goals will change as I try things that may or may not work for me but I wanted an official goal out there that meant I wouldn’t start taking my routines for granted or settle into bad habits. With that said... time for a mask, dry brushing and stretching before bed!

​Until next time,

2018 was an interesting year, full of major positive moments as well as some huge downturns as well. I struggled to stick with my "One Word" more than any other year to date... balance was difficult to achieve consistently. With that said, it was overall a good year. I thrived in my career, had amazing experiences with my friends and met a lot of my goals, including the giant one of buying a house! 

So, let's jump into goals and wrap ups for each section of my life in 2018.

I've updated the home page with my current set of goals for the coming year. Have you set your goals? Next week I plan to be back with another app review. See you then!