WHY ARE YOU READING THIS?
Seriously.
I want to know.
Is it because you're really curious about what I'm going to be up to for the next few months? Have you been following my blog for a few years, and now you're simply used to reading this every January so you want to see what's new?
If those are your reasons, please log out of this post now.
My goals shouldn't really matter to you. Whether or not I finally finished writing my book or lose a few pounds or learn how to fold and put away laundry within the same week it was actually washed and dried is no concern of yours in the grand scheme of life. However, if reading these words will help you find footing in your own journey, then please continue. If you have been trying to figure out how to break down the seemingly hundred of ideas swirling around in your mind to just a few, then please continue. If you are feeling like an aimless wanderer, and need helping figuring out what matters most, please continue.
Last week, I took some time and really dug into my 2017 PowerSheets. I made sure that my goals were a reflections of things that really matter to me. The deeper the connection each goal has to my heart, the more likely I will want to complete it. They are all centered around an individual "why". One of my mentors recently me, "Your why should make you cry."
So, let's call me a crybaby all year. Lol!
Okay, 2017...let's go!
GOAL ONE: Spend more quality time with my children.
WHY: Because before I know it, they will be adults and I wants to savor these moments. Being with my children is one of the main reasons I chose to fight to work from home full time. They attended a wonderful daycare, but it never sat well with me that they were there for almost ten hours a day. If they became sick, I would have attempt to take off work to be with them (which wasn't always possible). If I couldn't stay home with them when they didn't feel well I would feel horrible, and if I was able to wiggle some time away from the office, I felt guilty about making someone else have to finish my work for me. Now that I'm home, I want to be intentional about making the most out of our time. I already turned out cable off so we don't just watch Disney all day, and have connected with some other WAHMs to find out about little meet-ups throughout the month we can go to. I want this to be a year where we create wonderful memories.
GOAL TWO: Deepen my relationship with my sisters.
WHY: Because I love them. For real, I really really really love my sisters. We are one of those weird families that actually enjoys spending time together. My sisters and I don't always agree, but we don't fight. We were raised in a house where we were allowed to argue with one another so that's just not how we interact. We're all adults now (I'm the baby), and we all have our own lives, and I want to make sure we not only stay in touch, but grow even closer. When our mother passed away in 2010, I learned very quickly that she'd been the glue that held so much of our family together. So many of us drifted away from each other when she became sick in 2009, and after her death it just never really got back the way it was before. I miss those days. This is the year we work to get back to who we used to be as a family.
GOAL THREE: Grow my home-based businesses.
WHY: Because my family, and so many other families, depend on it. I run two businesses and a non-profit from home. Though it allows me to slowly wake up to toddler snuggles instead of rushing out of the door every morning. I realized in 2015 that even though I had hold two degrees, I was in a profession that was causing me to settle. I was settling for an income that was not only below my skill-set and academic level, but was also below what my time was worth. Just keeping it real. So, I did something about it. I tapped into my talents and the things that really set my heart on fire, and figure how to make those things generate my income. I plan to do that on an even larger scale this year.
Well, I think this is a lot to digest for one day. I'm going to post my last three goals tomorrow. Hope you come back to back them out! Also, be sure to check out Lara Casey's Goal Setting Series. It has helped me a lot!
Until then, what are some of your goals? Leave them in the comments below. I'd love to encourage you in any way I can.
xoxo,
Ashley Danielle