There is no one holding you back but yourself when it comes to your health goals. I can throw out excuses with the best of them as to why I don’t look or feel how I want, but I know it is a direct result of my own actions. I’m keeping this quote ‘get out of your own way’ in mind as I work towards the healthy person I want to be. Today I signed up for our second 5k (in May) and am motivated to do my first half marathon in Disney World in 2018. I want a healthier body for a lot of reasons. Top 3: 1.) More energy. 2.) A healthy vessel for our second child. 3.) To feel confident and beautiful in the clothes that are my style. I’m currently limited because of my size. My goal is to be able to shop at any store and find stylish pieces that make me feel empowered. I’ve printed out a training plan from the RunDisney site and am excited to begin this new journey of healthy living.
January Goals
Sound the trumpets, I’m back! Happiest of new years to you all. I am hoping you had a magical 2015 but fingers crossed that your 2016 is even better. I’ve been absent from this lovely blog and most of my social media for a few weeks because I needed to decompress from the internets and focus on my family, home and a bit of relaxation. It’s amazing how much I can accomplish (or not accomplish) if my nose isn’t in a laptop. While I’ve been away I’ve gotten mostly caught up on Game of Thrones, painted two rooms downstairs, had cousin sleepovers and family hot tub parties. Life has been good and I’m ready to see what changes 2016 brings.
A little recap of my December goals before I head into my January goals and 2016 goals. We did a great job on slowing down our speed on house projects as well as not watching as much TV during the week. I’ve also gotten much more patient with Sophie’s new found ‘nos’ and toddler independence. The things she gets upset about are so cute, unless we’re trying to get to school or leave the Conner Prairie that’s closing. We’ve learned to let her first try something by herself and wait for her to ask us for help, otherwise there will be tears when opening a door or string cheese. In the way of meeting people in our community, I joined a group called theCityMoms and met some new friends at their holiday party where we were pampered with manicures and crepes. I think I will get along just fine here in Indy with those kind of ‘girls nights’. We more than ‘partook’ in a few Christmas activities. There were few holiday-esque events we did not partake in. My favorite, by far, was experiencing the magic of Christmas Lights at The Indianapolis Zoo. I was diligent about going to the gym three times per week and finished up my last PT meeting for my shoulder. I’m happy to announce that I’m able to lift my arm above my head now with minimal pain! I have faith I’ll get it back to a normal shoulder this year. Big goals people!
Although I completed all of my blog goals, I was a bad Blog Mama. I had five posts total on this site (two of which were blurbs for features on other sites, so they don’t really count). Although I’ve not done my content calendar for this month, *slaps hand, I am out of my blog slump and ready to create some awesome content. One of my Christmas gifts was a new tripod which will be a huge advantage over my previous tripod that I’d borrowed, and broke, from my Dad. Sorry Dad. I completely accomplished my biggest goal for December, which was to live in the moment with my family, and I cherished every second of it.
January Goals
Family
- Set up Sophie’s easel and create a Mommy/Daughter masterpiece
- Re-start up Monthly Date Night
- Get caught up on GoT
Life
- Host first neighborhood Girls Night In
- Visit gym 4x/week and do shoulder exercises daily
- Get office organized
Blog
- Schedule content a month out
- Plan at least one ‘power post’ a month for the year
- Complete another PIN70 and 550 pins/week
2016 Goals
My January goals are not extravagant but can be easily measured, which is exactly what my plan is for 2016. Having measurable small goals to achieve my overall larger goals. My fitness goal for 2016 is one pant size. I ultimately want to decrease by two pant sizes but know that I’m comfortable in a size 10 but will feel stunning in an 8. I want my body to be stronger so I’m able to last longer on fun adventures with my family. I want to work towards a strong body for our next child (whenever that may be). I want to be excited to buy clothes again because I enjoy fashion and the confidence I have when I’m loving my outfit. I haven’t LOVED an outfit in at least two years and that makes me really sad.
My career goal is to get a steady job. A job that has normal hours and people that I can talk to about my weekend. A job that I like but may not be obsessed with like I have been in the past. A job that will pay for Sophie’s school. A job that will hopefully allow me to have enough energy to continue writing about my DIY projects, Disney tips and our home improvements. A job that will allow us to not feel guilty to have a babysitter come once a month for date night. Fingers crossed that such a wonderful job exists and that we find each other soon!
I’m only making two big goals for 2016 but will continue to make small goals each month to assist in achieving those larger goals. Will you be making a resolution this year or perhaps have a focus word for this year? Remember, that goals are just that. Goals. They can be changed or modified with what’s going on in your life, so never beat yourself up for not living up to your initial standards. You’ve probably over achieved in other areas of your life that you’re not even giving yourself credit for. Remember to pat yourself on the back this year and take care of yourself before others.
Follow along with my 2016 goals on Insta. If you comment on a photo to let me know you’re there, I’ll hop over to your feed. Let’s be friends! @shellybergman
December Goals
It’s the last month of the year 2015 and I’ve had a wonderful year. I love doing these monthly goals because it’s sort of like a time capsule for how my year went. Not surprisingly, November shot by and left me spinning. I’m sure December will be no different. I’m trying to not plan a ton for the calendar because I know that I’ll hear or read about an event and have to go last minute. I’m currently torn between three places to take Sophie after school!
Before we look at how I did in November, I want to look back at my New Years Inspirational Word for 2015: Learn. I did a poor job at learning the specific things I mentioned in January’s post but I kept ‘Learn’ close to my heart though out the year and truly learned a lot. I learned about blogging, monetizing, montessori (not having Sophie at home with me), moving to a new state, taking a Disney trip with a toddler, organizing and much more. I have a month to decide my word for 2016 but I’m leaning towards ‘Embrace’, meaning ‘Embrace life’. I’m in an uneasy spot that I’ve been in before, not knowing what to do with my life. Do I pursue this blog, try writing for another publication, focus on marketing my organizing business, get a desk job…? It makes me a little exhausted thinking about it all. When I get anxious with too many choices, I tend to shut down and be unmotivated for work or play. That’s how my past month has gone, not fully committed to any one of those ventures but trying them all which results in being pulled too many directions. Time for some soul searching.
I did fairly well on my November goals. We’ve gotten Sophie’s bedtime routine down better. She had been so sleepy/crabby in the mornings before school that we knew she needed a better routine at night. We now do bath every other night and bedtime got moved up a half hour to 8p. She started swim lessons and is loving it. I love watching Jeffrey be able to do the lessons with her since I am usually the one to do these kind of activities with her. I did not join a mom’s group, as planned, but I have applied to be a member of theCityMoms and will start writing for IndysChild next month!
The personal organizing session I had scheduled fell through due to illness on my client’s behalf. I’m disappointed but learned a few things on how to handle my next client. I did not read 4 nights/week but did read much more than before. We decided to not build the shed because it was too big of a project before the ground froze. We replaced that project with a garage organizing job so we could still fit my car in the garage this winter. My blog goals were (as always) my lowest priority. I posted 3 times/week up until this past week and used hashtags more efficiently on Instagram but I have nothing on my content calendar (which was supposed to be scheduled a month out.) I feel like I’m being a slacker by making my goals more simple for certain months but I also realize that they need to be attainable goals. December is full of holiday dinners, Christmas light hunting, Christmas movies, family gatherings, playing in the snow and Christmas crafts. I want to take the month off from heavy goals and focus on the holiday season and my family.
December Goals
Family
- Practice patience with Sophie’s ‘nos’ and ‘baby cries’
- Insist on a slower ‘house projects’ speed
- Continue family time at night with no TV until the weekend
Life
- Meet people in the community
- Partake in a few Christmas events
- Continue PT for my shoulder and workouts 3x/week
Blog
- Complete sponsored post
- Hit my Pinterest goal (at least 550 pins/week)
- Stop comparing
This post was a bit heavier than my usual monthly goal posts. I wanted to be honest in what’s going on in my life and why my goals aren’t being reached. Hopefully at the end of December I can look back and be proud of the goals I accomplished and excited for the new year ahead. What does your December look like? Any specific tradition you’re looking forward to most?
November Goals
October has blown through our lives like the wind that fall brings. It’s crazy how much we did this past month. I really focused on having fun with Sophie and making sure to spend more time with friends and family. We’re still doing nightly projects on the house but there is a lot more ‘fun’ time scheduled in. Unfortunately, we’re ramping up to do a few big house projects before winter (and snow) comes. Hopefully having these November goals written out will help keep me on track because I know this and next month will be pretty anxiety inducing.
On that note, let’s check to see how flexible I’ll have to be with my November goals by looking back on my October goals (or as I like to call them ‘accomplishments’.)
We did well on our family goals for October. Like I said, my focus was Sophie, so we got a play area set up for her in the basement since the weather is starting to get rainy. We did not do well at getting her bedtime routine set. I could blame it on a number of events we did but in reality, it’s all on us to make sure we’re home to give her the routine she thrives on. We’re running into her having a hard time waking up in the mornings and refusing school again so bedtime routine will be a must this month. We did not go to a pumpkin patch but Soph went with me to pick out her pumpkin and we carved them as a cat and Frankenstein. We also went to several local Halloween attractions like The Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie, The Children’s Museum and Octoboo Trick or Treating at the Hamilton East County Library.
I only accomplished 50% of my life goals this past month. We got the bathroom painted with help from my sister and got the shelves up in the master closet this past weekend. We were able to visit both sides of our family for lots of Birthday celebrating, however, I did not work out 5 days/week and we only did Whole15. The good news is that I’m now in PT for my shoulder and neck so I will be able to do more regular workouts (and vacuum the house!) I rocked my blog goals and completed all three! I did several paid posts, wrote both Sophie’s Birthday party post and a Disney post (coming this week) and finished our final book for Page Turners, George.
We have had a wonderful start to the fall season. During Sophie’s fall break we were able to visit with lots of friends and family and really spent quality time with everyone (without a ton on the agenda). She seems to really like fall and all the activities that come with it (other than the rain because she can’t go to the park every day). Now for my November goals.
November Goals:
Family:
- Focus on Sophie’s bedtime routine
- Start swim lessons
- Meet up with another mom or mom’s group
Life:
- Do one personal organizing session
- Read 4 nights/week
- Build a shed
Blog:
- Post three times/week
- Use hashtags more effectively on Instagram (higher likes)
- Schedule content a month out
I’m excited but also nervous for November and December. I like having a few things on the calendar but it’s already looking quite full. One day at a time. By the way, what is one of your biggest goals for November? Please share it with me. I’d love to have an accountability buddy.
By the way, if you’re liking my photos, you can follow along with what we’re up to on my Instagram page:
October Goals
I’ve come to the realization that things may not slow down in my life until my kids have graduated High School. Monthly goals are an important part of my mental stability in keeping my priorities in order through the madness that is the 21st century. The most important thing to remember when goal setting is to know that it will be alright if each goal is not fully complete by the end of the month. To be flexible in goal setting is the key to not feeling stressed or frustrated with your accomplishments. If you don’t accomplish one of your goals, it’s no problem, if it is still an important task simply push the date back. It does no good to get down on yourself for not accomplishing goals.
On that note, let’s check to see how flexible I’ll have to be with my October goals by looking back on my September goals (or as I like to call them ‘accomplishments’.) By the way, September rocked in all areas of my life.
We started Sophie in an all day Montessori school just a block from our home. The transition has been rough for all of us. There are tears every morning but each day is a little bit less of a struggle. She loves being at school once she’s there but leaving me is really tough on her (and me!) Sophie and I had many mini Mommy/Daughter dates after school. I was sure to focus entirely on her after school rather than cleaning the kitchen or running errands. We’re on a great track to making our home Montessori friendly with adding low tables/chairs, hooks and a spot for all of Sophie’s belongings that she can easily access.
We also are on a roll with potty training. I know that things can digress after a while but as of now she is doing a wonderful job and is very excited about being more independent. We got two more rooms of our home painted and I was able to work out at least 4 times per week. I also accomplished most of my blog goals. I was able to join another Pin 70 group although I’m not seeing much of an increase in numbers this time. I got one recipe post up on the blog and have another that will be coming out soon. I talked to my blogging buddy Misty about some ideas on social media and was re-inspired with writing.
We had the best family vacation in Disney World (of which I’ll post about soon) as well as a date night out celebrating our 5 year anniversary with dinner and Inside Out. We had some fun fall adventures including apple picking and a bon fire at my sister’s and a cook out with Jeffrey’s new job. I’m excited about the month ahead with lots of Birthday’s (Sophie turned 2 today!), fall break and Halloween! Now for my October goals.
October Goals:
Family:
- Get a play/craft area set up for Sophie in the basement
- Focus on bedtime routine for more successful sleep
- Go to a pumpkin patch
Life:
- Finish bathroom closet and paint master bath
- Visit both sides of the family
- Work out 5 days/week & Whole30
Blog:
- Complete shopportunity
- Write one party post and one Disney post
- Read final Page Turners book
I’m excited for October and the change in seasons (despite it being dark sooner.) I’d love to know if you make goals. How do you keep track of them? A running list, post-its, an app on your phone or do you just remember everything? What is one of your biggest goals for October?
By the way, if you’re liking my photos, you can follow along with what we’re up to on my Instagram page: