Goal setting felt so different this year, didn’t it? I always encounter some nerves about how and if I’ll be able to accomplish everything I set out to, but this is the first year that, at one moment, had me looking at my list and saying to Dave, “I don’t know how ANY of this is going to happen.” There is a great reason to include your spouse or a friend in your goal-setting process…they can talk you down from moments like that :) Like I mentioned on Monday, this is the first year that he and I have been very intentional about setting goals alongside one another. If there is one thing 2020 taught us, it’s that we are stronger as a team. We tried to bring that knowledge to our 2021 plans, setting a few goals together as a family, as well as some individual goals that complement each other.

As always, I used PowerSheets to narrow down what really matters to me for the coming year, and I have never been more grateful for them keeping me focused and on track. Through lots of prayer, conversations, and discernment, here are the eight goals and the inspiration board I’ve landed on for 2021!

Clockwise from top left: Amour Vert, @blessedisshe__, @maraferreira, @simplified, @carlysbookclub, Camille Styles, Emily Ley, The College Housewife

1. Grow in relationship with God through quality time with Him.

While growing in relationship with God tops my goal lists year after year, I’ve come to love changing up exactly how I intend to do that in different ways. Last year, I focused on Scripture, and it truly transformed the way I read the Bible in prayer. This year, my biggest focus is going to be quality time with God–I hope to pick my morning prayer routine back up, become a regular at Eucharistic Adoration, build occasional daily Masses on my own into our weekends, etc. Covid-dependent, I’d also love to attend a retreat of some sort, which I haven’t done since college.

2. Move from survival mode to “thrive mode” by addressing our routines and systems.

One of the most challenging aspects of quarantine with a newborn was that we had no semblance of routine figured out as a family of four that we could cling to during such a crazy time. Nine months later, we’ve still been getting by with the bare minimum when it comes to systems and schedules to help our family thrive, not just survive. This is one of the biggest things I want to tackle this year–I know it will make a huge impact for us! Many pain points in our day-to-day lives will simply require a few minutes of thought and a conversation to improve them. This book is filled with practical strategies for this and I’m eager to put a few into practice. (On this note, my word for the year is thrive!)

3. Prioritize caring for myself through exercise and healthy eating.

Again, this is an area that really took a backseat for me through the postpartum period, quarantine, and all the stress of 2020. Dave and I share a goal to prioritize our health in the year ahead, so I’m looking forward to keeping each other accountable.

4. Continue to actively pursue and seek healing from anxiety.

I have not shared this before (not because I am ashamed of it; the need to mention it just hadn’t really come up), but for the past six months, I’ve been in therapy for anxiety. It is something I have struggled with in different ways for as long as I can remember, but especially since becoming a mom. With encouragement from Dave, I finally decided that I didn’t need to keep living with it and making the excuse that “this is just my personality” anymore. Meeting with an amazing therapist regularly is one of the best things I have ever done for my health and I am so hopeful about continuing that journey in 2021.

5. Be a family that treasures prayer, adventure, and books.

When Dave and I discussed the things we hope will form the core of our family culture, prayer, adventure, and books topped the list. We have always valued these things, but specifically naming them has made us feel more ownership over the role we want them to play in our family. We are dreaming up some fun ways to bring them to the forefront of our lives alongside Charlie and Azelie.

6. Find delight and relaxation in hobbies.

For years, I have struggled to name any of my hobbies that fell outside of the realm of blogging. The “what fires you up” page in my PowerSheets opened my eyes to realize that some of the things on my list can, indeed, be considered hobbies! From picking up dance again to baking a sweet treat from scratch each month, I am excited to carve out a little bit more intentional time to activities that enrich my life and bring me joy.

7. Catch up on memory keeping.

This is a carry-over goal from 2019, but one that I think needs to be prioritized again! I would LOVE to complete my backlog of yearly albums, go back and fill in what I can remember for the Promptly journal I bought for Charlie (I’ve loved using it for Azelie so much!), start filling out a Christmas memories journal, and catalog our many videos in a more organized way.

8. Grow Something Pretty into a profitable business.

I don’t expect to elaborate on this much in my monthly goal posts, since there are about a zillion mini-goals under it! I did want to share it here though because YOU are such a meaningful part of this goal. I have so many dreams for Something Pretty and I hope you know that every follow, comment, like, and share contributes to bringing that to life. So thank you so, so much for being here! To read more about how your interactions can support bloggers and creators, this post by Ashlee Gadd is gold.

January Goals

1. Get back into a rhythm of morning prayer (for me, this means a 6 A.M. alarm, or, if we had a rough night of sleep, spending time in prayer as soon as I put Azelie down for her morning nap instead of jumping right into work).
2. Make a list of the pain points or challenges in our weekday schedule that I want to improve.
3. Do a Tone It Up workout after putting the kids to bed three times a week. Choose which workouts to do on Sunday night so I don’t waste time browsing the options. Also, buy a new yoga mat!
4. Map out a plan for finally completing this Catholic mindfulness course.
5. Make a list of both indoor and outdoor spots we can explore as a family that we can refer back to (and go on a few adventures!).
6. Research online dance class options.
7. Bake something delicious from scratch.
8. Curate photos for our 2020 family album.

Friends, I am so looking forward to chipping away at these goals and sharing my progress along the way with you each month. I would love to hear any goals you may have for the year ahead below so that I can cheer you on!