I’m not sure that I’m crazy about the whole “New Year New You” mentality. I’ve spent my whole life trying to make myself into someone else. And ever since I started to get to know Me, I’ve started to really like me and that’s not going to change. In fact I just keep falling deeper and deeper in love with me.

Some people like to start out the new year with resolutions. Some like to focus on one word that they’re going to try to embody more fully. Some say “to hell with it all” and just keep living their lives without taking stock and I admire that. I, personally, like to think ahead and write out a bucket list of sorts. It’s a mixture of all of it. Some things to look forward to, some new habits to implement, and some themes I want to amplify.

I believe in attainable, measurable, positive goals. I’ll walk you through what I mean.
Attainable: Don’t set yourself up for failure. If you don’t engage in regular exercise now, but you tell yourself that you’re going to run five miles every day in 2017, I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer but it’s just not going to happen. And then you’re going to feel bad about yourself because a week in and you didn’t even try. But you’re not a failure, you just had really, really, really good intentions.
Measurable: You need to be able to feel a sense of accomplishment when you’ve completed it! There’s another thing wrong with “run five miles every day in 2017”. And that is that you won’t have completed that goal until this time next year! You need to be able to celebrate your successes along the way, and that excitement will spur you on toward your next goal.
Positive: I don’t want to see anything on your list that starts with the words “stop”, “don’t”, or “quit”. I want to see you replace those with “begin”, “do”, and “start”. Why? Because you are great just the way you are and I don’t want you to start out this year with any whiff of negativity towards who you are or what you do. And also because the way we change bad habits is by replacing them with good ones. You can’t just say, “I’m going to stop watching reality TV.” Well, you’re going to have a lot of time staring at a wall if you don’t have a plan to figure out what you’re going to do instead.

The most important thing that I want you to remember is that if you don’t cross everything (or anything) off your list, you’re not a failure. This list is arbitrary. You made it up. You’re going to do so many things this year! Relish in that! Honor that! You’re good for it.

Let me share with you my list of seventeen goals/ hopes for 2017

Seventeen in Seventeen
1. Write every day. This is my number one goal. I want to practice my craft daily.
2. Use my bullet journal consistently. This one shouldn’t be too hard since I have developed a habit of using a planner since college—it’s just my first time delving into the realm of the #bujo and I think the concept is made for me.
3. More family dinners with friends. We’re here in McPherson to stay for the foreseeable future and we want to build on the fulfilling relationships we have here. I know we’re all busy but crappy dinner parties are in order to make this happen.
4. Go on a long weekend away with Ry. We’ve been talking about doing this in the next few months, just haven’t made any plans for it just yet.
5. Sell some art. That’s a measurable goal. “Some” is a perfectly relative unit of measure.
6. Give time and money away to places and people that I believe in. It takes a village.
7. Figure out a cleaning schedule that works as well as our meal prep/ grocery schedule.
8. Plan an international vacation with my love.
9. Be pro-active about helping out my mom friends.
10. Save an average of $25/ week.
11. Use my blog to promote only products and companies that I 100% believe in and support.
12. Minimize all of our belongings over the course of the next 12 months.
13. Read 18 books and the magazines to which you currently subscribe.
14. Cook more whole/ low-carbohydrate meals. Ryan and I have experimented with several diets and none made my body feel as good and vibrant as when we were low-carb.
15. Work with Fiona to learn to walk better on-leash. Girl gets so excited, she just pulls and pulls and pulls.
16. Set up some doggy play-dates/ dog park time with Fiona.
17. Express my love and gratitude freely and regularly. Heartfelt texts, Thank you notes, birthday cards, etc.

What are some things you’re looking forward to/ focusing on/ wanting to implement in your life in 2017? Any tips for some of the things on my list? I welcome the help (especially with finding a cleaning schedule).

I’m so grateful you’re here and you’ve stuck with me this year. I have a lot of other blog-related goals that I’m just not quite ready to put out there into the universe just yet but I hope you’re along for the ride.

XOXO, Lib