Goals for the New Year

Happy New Year, you guys!

Hopefully you didn't stay out tooooo late last night, and hopefully you aren't "feelin' it" today.

Last night, Taylor and I went over to our friend's house and hung out with her and her husband and a couple other friends. Being that we are old people (especially me), we headed home before the New Year came into existence.

I know everyone and their brother is going to be posting a resolutions post today, but that's ok. Hopefully something I say will inspire you differently than the way someone else inspires you. We can all help each other in different ways.

First of all, let me say that resolutions are really just goals. It's good to have goals. But if you only create goals because it's a New Year and you "just should", then there's no point. Within a month you'll have given up. Only create goals that you really are passionate about accomplishing.

So first off, here are the personal goals I am passionate about accomplishing this year.

Personal Goals

Tithe- I really believe in the importance of obeying God by tithing, but Taylor and I have barely tithed since we've gotten married. Our funds are so slim that we don't tithe, but I truly believe that we should trust God to provide for us. He will honor the fact that we are giving our "first fruits" to Him.

My relationship with God- Ever since I went to college (gosh, that was 6 years ago!) my time spent with God has been ridiculously minimal. I still live for him. I still pray daily. But my prayers tend to be very Kristin-focused, and my Bible reading is sparse (and that's being generous).
Part of this is because of my anxiety and some spiritual and mental battles I face. Some of this is selfishness with my time. And some of this is just down-right laziness. I mean, I can binge-watch and entire series on Netflix before I decide to read my Bible...wow, Kristin...just wow.

Weight/Health- I've gained 110 pounds since my Freshman year of college. I hate the way I look and I hate the way I feel. I've tried and tried to lose weight, but I always give up. I love french fries and I hate discipline. But I want to be healthy. I want to glorify God through taking care of my body. And I want to feel pretty again. I want to feel like I look nice for my husband, instead of feeling like a blob. He doesn't feel that way about me, but I feel that way about myself.

I don't want to just tell you guys what I want or wish for. I want to have a plan and goal. So here is my plan and my goals for my personal resolutions.

January
By the end of January, I want to have lost five pounds. I plan to do this by cooking at home, cooking with less grease and fat and adding in more vegetable, and by exercising (walking or doing Just Dance on Wii) at least three times/week.

As far as tithing goes, by the end of January, I want us to have decided on our church (we have it narrowed down to two) and pull out 10% off the top of every paycheck we receive. I desire to continue this through the year.

For Bible reading, by the end of January I want to be listening to Audio Bible
2 times per week and physically reading my Bible 1 time per week.

February
By the end of February, I want to have lost another 3 pounds (8 total). I plan to increase my exercise to 4 times/week.

For Bible reading, by the end of February I want to be listening to Audio Bible
3 times per week and physically reading my Bible 1 time per week.

March
By the end of March, I want to have lost another 5 pounds (13 total). I plan to keep my exercise at 4 times/week.

For Bible reading, by the end of March I want to be listening to Audio Bible
3 times per week and physically reading my Bible 2 time per week.

April
By the end of April, I want to have lost another 5 pounds (18 total). I plan to keep my exercise at 4 times/week, but start looking for different types of workouts I can do through the hot, Charlotte Summer.

For Bible reading, by the end of April I want to be listening to Audio Bible
3 times per week and physically reading my Bible 2 time per week.

May
By the end of May, I want to have lost another 8 pounds (26 total). I plan to keep my exercise at 4 times/week, and start swapping in those summer workouts.

For Bible reading, by the end of May I want to be listening to Audio Bible
2 times per week and physically reading my Bible 3 time per week.

June
By the end of June, I want to have lost another 8 pounds (34 total). I plan to reduce my workouts to 3/week, because of the heat. However, I want to make sure that those workouts are slightly longer/more intense.

For Bible reading, by the end of June I want to be listening to Audio Bible
2 times per week and physically reading my Bible 3 time per week.

July-August
Lose another 16 pounds (50 total) while staying at 3 workouts/week.

Stay with listening to Audio Bible 2 times per week and physically reading my Bible 3 time per week.

September-November
Lose another 15 pounds (65 total). Increase my workouts back to 4 times/week and do as many of them outside as possible.

Stick with same Bible routine, adding in more when possible.

December
Lose 5 more pounds, but allow myself to enjoy holiday treats (in moderation). Continue to exercise 4 times/week.


Now for my blog and business goals.

Blog and Business Goals

Blog- I want to grow my readership and monetize my blog.

Add Items to Etsy- I want to add jewelry, wax melts, headbands, and more candle scents to my Etsy shop.

Buy a camera- I want to put away $10 every month towards a camera (which may mean it takes me well over a year to save up, but that's ok).



These goals are going to take a lot of hard work, perseverance, and dedication, but I believe that I can do it.

What about you? Do you have lofty goals? Good for you. Go after them!