How We Wednesdays: Goals and Resolutions

I am so excited to be participating in a new link-up for the new year! I am linking-up with fellow bloggers Shay and Erika for their "How We Wednesdays" on the first Wednesday of every month! Today we are talking about how we do goals and resolutions. My favorite part about link-ups is all of the great tips I get from the other bloggers who join in. Here is the plan for the year:

Setting goals is something that has always come naturally to me. Once you start, it is motivating because you realize the power of having a plan for what you want in your life. One of the things I love best about working in education is that I actually get two new years; one in January and one in August when school begins. I like to set goals and resolutions that I revisit in six months to see how I am doing. It feels like less pressure than committing to something for an entire year.

(Image from www.pinterest.com - Rose Hill Designs)

Every year during winter break, Dan and I have a Goal Setting Date. Isn't that romantic? Ha! All kidding aside, it is actually one of the best things we do for our family and relationship. We either go to a coffee shop or cozy up at home with a glass of wine.  We use this time to review the past year's blessings and challenges, talk about our work, kids, marriage, etc.  It is amazing to see things we thought were far-fetched that have become a reality in our lives. We then dream up all of the goals that we would like to meet in the new year and write everything down.  To keep it organized, we use the following categories:

Faith

Family

Finance

Fitness

Forever (our marriage)

Friends

(...and because we ran out of "F" words...)

Work

Travel

Projects

Things to Buy

Some of these areas are practical and some are where we cut loose and dream big.  Each year, we choose a theme that we want to incorporate into the new year.  For 2018, our theme is Quality Over Quantity. We are both feeling a bit overwhelmed and want to take a less is more approach in 2018.  Our theme from 2017 was Be Intentional and we definitely want to continue that as well. We will try to carry this theme into all aspects of our lives from spending time with our kids, blessing others, work and spending.  

One of the best parts of this time together is reviewing the prior year's list and seeing where we crushed it and where we need to work a little harder.  We also talk about and record our personal goals for the year and discuss how we can hold each other accountable.  I love this time with my husband and being intentional about the life we are building together.

I find pretty planners and notebooks at Home Goods or Marshall's to record my goals and plans in. Although we use a shared Google calendar for our family, I still keep a separate paper planner for myself, one for my blog schedule and one that hangs in the pantry so the kids can see what we have going on that week. 

Have you seen on social media where people choose a word to define their year? The words are usually healthy, organized, grateful, or something similar. I joked with Dan that my word for 2018 is NO. :) I am at a point where I want to focus on things that are eternally important and bring me joy instead of being pulled in a thousand different directions. As I move into my 40's I find that I care less about pleasing others and more about building an intentional life. Goal setting is a great way for me to see on paper what I am choosing to focus on.

Do you set goals and resolutions for the New Year? I would love to hear your ideas!