2023 is here, and I’m feeling grateful. I’m jumping into it with grace, lessons learned from last year, to go at my own pace. (Admittedly, one that’s usually fast!)
This marks the 5th year I’m publicly sharing my annual goals via blog, so I’ve learned to make them SMART, aligned with my values. They’re occasionally aspirational because life should be fun, too. I’m not just hustling; I have found fulfillment by allowing for adjustments throughout the year.
Sometimes, these goals are the same, year over year, like writing my book. Taking things slowly via stillness is something I’m still practicing.
In 2023, I’m aligning each goal to cardinal habits of creating, exploring, learning, moving, and serving.
Creative goals:
- Start designing tiny house
- Make art for its own sake once/week
Exploring goals:
- Visit France over spring break
- Take myself on weekly dates
Learning goals:
- Research grad schools for my book, Omit to Commit
- Finish bookcase by reading before bed nightly (or at least read 40 books, including 36 from my shelf and 4 or more for my book club!)
Moving goals:
- Run for fun once/week, such as running without tech on my person or running as the sun rises/sets
- Develop daily rotating ab/arm routines
Serving goals:
- Support a nonprofit org once/month with time or treasure
- Continue swapping to vegan, sustainable, and local wares
I hope to track these goals via blog and the occasional social post. Some content will share my word for 2023: inner compass (I began sharing a word for the year in 2022 with the word grace).
My content calendar includes posting about these goals every 10 days.
- On the 10th of every month, I’ll apply a different letter of “Inner Compass” to my life (ie, January 10th will focus on I words, such as intention, identity, and independence, February 10th will focus on N, such as non-negotiables, “no”, and norms, and so on).
- On the 20th of every month, I’ll share some research on my book draft, Omit to Commit. This will include many requests for your input, too!
- On the 30th of every month (and February 28th), I’ll share more discoveries from other goals, such as my quests to read through my bookshelf and design a tiny house.
This strategy offers space for additional content, if I so choose, such as returning to Womxn in Progress. The schedule gives me wiggle room and time to research, draft, and rewrite as needed, as well. Instead of rushing to publish, I’m giving myself time to publish. The gift of time (for myself, by myself, against myself) is a lesson from 2022’s word for the year, grace!
And since I’ll be blogging every 10 days, I can carve out more intentionality to content creation. If I feel like posting to social, I can. Or not.
Dreaming big does not replace doing the thing. They can coexist.
I value living intentionally, so I hope my posts feel real and spark truthful conversations, rather than gloss over mistakes or roadblocks. Being honest about my dream of authorship means making changes to my lifestyle by writing regularly, having confidence in my skills in pitching and publishing, and just doing the thing. I hope to finish a draft of my book this year. OR I’d love to find a grad school that will help me research/set a schedule for writing while netting a graduate degree. (Right now, psych, soc, anthro, comms, ethics, and even engineering apply to Omit to Commit.) If you have thoughts on programs, I’d love to hear them.
Over to you: how do you design goals? Do you have any resolutions or aspirations for the year? Or do you prefer not setting goals? Let me know with a comment. Let’s make 2023 a fulfilling, fun year!