I’ve been sharing my goals on this blog for the past five or six years, and I continue to publicly post because it helps keep me accountable. I truly enjoy reading through other’s goal setting projects. If you have shared your 2018 resolutions, I’d love to read them!
2017 was a year unlike any other. Becoming a mother both invigorated me and exhausted me. I left the year feeling a little burnt out with a lot of plates spinning in the air. After a few weeks off, I’ve had some time to contemplate the next 365 days. Overall, I want less. Less stuff, less things to do, less draining projects, less dishes to clean (is that possible?). I want more time with my family, more space for creativity, more of the things that make me want to get out of bed each morning.
A lot of my 2018 goals revolve around wanting to feel more alive and less numb. By that, I mean not feeling like I’m running around checking off things on my to-do list without ever really being truly present. I asked Justin Lyon a few years back at Photo Field Trip how his family does it all. They have several kids, run multiple successful businesses, and make it all look easy. I’m sure it’s far from easy, but he told me that the secret is to be completely focused and present in whatever space you’re in. If you’re at work, think about work. If you’re with your family, don’t think about work. Great advice.
Before I jump into my 2018 goals, here are the goals I set for 2017:
2017 Goals
1. Enjoy maternity leave
It’s my goal to be caught up so that answering emails is the only work that will need to be done over maternity leave.
Yes, yes, and yes. I feel like I did a great job of carving out space to really enjoy those first 12 weeks.
2. Creativity/Personal projects
I know spare time will be drastically minimized with a baby, but I would love to finish a couple of personal projects that I started in 2015-2016. I also want to make sure I’m documenting this new life that is entering our world.
I didn’t do so great on the personal projects, but I do feel like I was intentional about making time to document the first year of Kitt’s life.
3. Health
Get back to pre-pregnancy weight. Tone the places that have been stretched by carrying a baby for nine months. Make time for yoga, hiking, and other activities. Keep up with clean eating and drinking enough water, even with limited time.
I did make it back to pre-pregnancy weight with the help of breastfeeding. However, I didn’t know that I would struggle the entire year with some ankle injuries that were a result from pregnancy. It limited me from running and hiking quite a bit in 2017. We did a great job of making “clean” meals, but we ate out a lot more because of poor planning/exhaustion.
4. Balance
There are so many unknowns with figuring out how to be a parent, nursing, cloth diapering, working from home, and traveling for work. I know it will take time to find this balance, but I want it to be an intentional practice in this new season. I want Brendan and I to have date nights at least once a month and to feel like I can fully give my attention to our child and my business.
Still working on this balancing act. I’m proud to say that we make date night happen almost every month. We kept up with cloth diapering, and I made it a year with breastfeeding.
5. Adventure
I’m keeping it simple this year. Go on a trip! We still have some states and National Parks to check off our bucket list (Wyoming? Yellowstone? Montana?), and I think that will be more achievable than an international trip in our baby’s first year.
We went on two trips as a family, and they were both so much fun. We enjoyed our time in Boulder in June and revisited Portland this winter to celebrate our 30th birthdays.
2018 Goals
1. Health
Overall, I would like tone and strengthen my body and mind. I read The Compound Effect, and my biggest takeaway is that little things add up to BIG things over time. I’m hoping some of these smaller goals will add up to a more healthy being in 2018.
// Rehab ankle so that I can get back to running in 2018.
// Less time on social media. Limit to two times a day. Lord help me. This will be a difficult one.
// Get into a daily exercise routine that can be practiced during busy season, even if it’s only 15 minutes/day.
// Learn more about meditation practice.
// Less sugar, more salads.
// Less trashy TV, more educational podcasts while editing.
// Wake up a little bit earlier to prioritize quiet time, prayer, and meditation.
2. Family
// Catch up on 2016 + 2017 family books from Artifact Uprising.
// Make Kitt’s one year video.
// Continue to take monthly portraits of Kitt on my SLR.
// Continue weekly planning meetings with B to communicate better about our schedules.
// Plan anniversary trip! We’re thinking Iceland might be our country of choice for 2018.
// Continue bi-monthly date nights.
// Find a sitter for Kitt and Poa. (Anyone know of the best way to go about this?)
// Carve out time for a weekly family day and a monthly adventure/outing.
3. Self-Care
After feeling burnt out at the end of 2017, I realized that I really, really need to make some space for self-care. I always feel guilty because I feel like my time should always be spent working, finishing chores, serving my family, etc. But, I know that loving yourself is incredibly important so that I can serve my family + couples to the best of my ability.
// Monthly creative space. Once a month, do something that is creative, fun, and away from the office.
// Finish #emertlangeproject
// Complete two workshops (Teethkiss + Awakening the Spark)
// Work through my “oneness.” Learning about the enneagram changed my life! It revealed my strengths and weakness. As a “one,” I need to learn to be less of a perfectionist, less critical of myself, delegate more.
// Learn one new skill or craft.
// Less, less, less. Purge our house, buy less things, enjoy what we have, experiences vs. things.
4. Service
// Find a way to serve the community on a regular basis. Maybe return to volunteering for Arts for Life? Connect with nonprofit and help with media?
5. MorningWild
// Make time for more real life family sessions, elopements, and boudoir work. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE weddings. I just want to make a pointed effort to leave space for these in my schedule too :)
// Integrate new albums and books for late 2018 and 2019 pricing. I’m excited to collaborate with these new companies!
// Blog more frequently. Blog more personal work and educational posts.
// Hire a spring intern and fall intern.
// Explore new packaging options for 2018 couples.
// Update website.
// Update guides and welcome book.
// Catch up on submissions before the season begins.
// Integrate blog and website into a new blogsite? Still contemplating this one.
