Accountability.
Accountability is an important factor. In fact, I argue that it's a non-negotiable. First and foremost, you have to be accountable to yourself. That's why establishing goals and mapping the route to their achievement is crucial. When your goals are fuzzy and unclear, it's hard to hold yourself accountable. It makes it easier to lie to yourself, or to hide your shortcomings from others.
"Oh, I can take this week off from the gym."
"This one purchase won't hurt my bank account."
"One little cigarette isn't a big deal."
These statements may or may not be true for you... but you know in your heart of hearts if you're lying to yourself. Establishing a strong sense of self-accountability is important to keep yourself from lying to yourself and marching on toward your goals.
But willpower wanes. When it does, the support of a positive friend or family member can help get you back on track. Because sometimes we cannot do it alone. We need encouragement. Ultimately, no one else can make your decisions for you, but they can help point you in the right direction when you're headed in the wrong one.
To me, accountability is a way of looking at your goals that stresses the fact that what's good for you is ultimately good for those around you, too. In other words, striving to become a better person every day isn't only good for me- it's good for my family, my boyfriend and my friends who spend time around me. Knowing that the positive changes are both for yourself and your loved ones may help you keep on keepin' on toward that goal.
In blogging, I am welcoming the whole Internet to keep me accountable. Not that I think anybody even reads this. (If you are, much love.) But writing in a public sphere helps motivate me. After all, I don't want to be writing future blog posts about my failures- although I'm sure there will be a few along the way. Instead, I want to have a positive story to tell.
So, all that being said, here are my 14 goals for 2014:
Goal 1: Grow closer to God.
-Pray daily
-Read a Bible passage daily
-Attend church 2x/month
This one is important to me. That's why it's #1 on the list. I think that daily prayer is crucial to forming a relationship with God. I think reading even a small piece of scripture each day is a great way to learn and/or put your life into perspective. And I don't think you get any brownie points with God from going to church... But I just so happen to really like church. Also, have you ever risen from bed one morning and stress is sitting heavy on your chest like you can't breathe? I believe that feeling comes about when you're not trusting God enough. I hope to not feel that way in 2014. As the saying goes: "Let go and let God."
Goal 2: Write - for myself.
-Start a blog
-create content calendar
-post 1x/week every week.
Well lookee here, I've already worked on this one. This was important to me because I love to write, and the only way to get any better at it is to do it. Plus, publishing my thoughts via a blog gives me a tangible "product" that simply thinking these thoughts in my head does not provide me.
Goal 3: Lose ~10 pounds
-Limit eating out
-Increase consumption of water/tea
-Continue gym 3 or 4x per week
-Continue gym 3 or 4x per week
-Fill up Evive bottle every day at work when I get hungry
-Try to do at least a little exercise at home on non-gym days (at least 20 minutes)
-Take walks on my lunch break when the weather is nice (1x per week)
Last year I lost ~20 lbs. (20 on a good day, 18 on a normal day, and 15 on a bad day.) I have felt much better, looked better, fit in clothes better, and overall have been happier with my body image.
But I fell short of my goal weight by 5-10 lbs. (depending on the day.) There are definitely some things I have incorporated that have helped me lose weight - hitting up the gym 3-4x per week, changing my diet, and eating out less.
I must be honest with myself though. These last few pounds won't come off for at least a few reasons:
-Eating out. Although I have decreased the amount of eating out I've done in 2013, it still has a ways to go. Some weeks when I look at my bank statement I realized I've eaten out 4 or 5 times.
But I fell short of my goal weight by 5-10 lbs. (depending on the day.) There are definitely some things I have incorporated that have helped me lose weight - hitting up the gym 3-4x per week, changing my diet, and eating out less.
I must be honest with myself though. These last few pounds won't come off for at least a few reasons:
-Eating out. Although I have decreased the amount of eating out I've done in 2013, it still has a ways to go. Some weeks when I look at my bank statement I realized I've eaten out 4 or 5 times.
-Not drinking enough water. They say (I don't know exactly who "they" are) sometimes your body feels hungry but it's really just thirsty (I kind of think that's bullshit because I'm constantly hungry). My goal is to drink a full glass of water each time I feel hungry at work and see if it helps.
-Work lunches/snacks. Many days, someone brings a delicious treat to the office. But when you work in a building with 100+ other people, these days can really pile up. Also, lunch date invitations add up, too, and before you know it you're eating out for lunch 3 days a week. As far as snacks go, I am going to make an effort to plan ahead for work meals. I hope to pack a nutritious lunch and two healthy snacks each day- one for the morning around 10 AM and one for the afternoon around 2:30.
-Laziness. When I'm at the gym, I go pretty hard. When I'm not at the gym, it is often hard to motivate myself to do anything physically. This year, my goal is to use part of one lunch break each week to go for a bit of a walk (when the weather is nice) and to incorporate at least 20 minutes of exercise on days when I don't hit the gym and I'm just at home.
My hope is that with these changes, I will drop the last of the weight. Or, at the very least, feel better!
-Work lunches/snacks. Many days, someone brings a delicious treat to the office. But when you work in a building with 100+ other people, these days can really pile up. Also, lunch date invitations add up, too, and before you know it you're eating out for lunch 3 days a week. As far as snacks go, I am going to make an effort to plan ahead for work meals. I hope to pack a nutritious lunch and two healthy snacks each day- one for the morning around 10 AM and one for the afternoon around 2:30.
-Laziness. When I'm at the gym, I go pretty hard. When I'm not at the gym, it is often hard to motivate myself to do anything physically. This year, my goal is to use part of one lunch break each week to go for a bit of a walk (when the weather is nice) and to incorporate at least 20 minutes of exercise on days when I don't hit the gym and I'm just at home.
My hope is that with these changes, I will drop the last of the weight. Or, at the very least, feel better!
Goal 4: Too personal to share online. (It's work related.)
Goal 5: Get back into reading
-Read at least 3 books this year.
Reading is good for your mind and soul. I've started on this one already - I'm currently reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
Reading is good for your mind and soul. I've started on this one already - I'm currently reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
The other two books? I'm not dead set on these but some that I have awaiting to read in my collection are:
Pygmy, Chuck Palahniuk
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom, and
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Feel free to hit me up with suggestions.
Goal 6: Save $2,500
-Put away roughly $100 per paycheck into savings account
-put at least $150 of tax return into savings
I try to live on about 50% of my take-home pay for two reasons:
1) So I can consistently put money into savings for the future.
2) So I don't feel bad when I want to occasionally splurge on something really nice (like a gym pass or a trip to Jamaica.)
You will not always be able to save money. So do it diligently while you can.
Goal 7: Be less judgmental
-Pray about it
-Be patient
-Remember that I can accept people even if I cannot accept their behavior
-Be kind
-Don't be bitter
Growing up, my grandmother often said: "If they aren't bothering you, leave people be." It's true that lots of people may bother you when they aren't trying to. But I think she meant if they aren't bothering you ON PURPOSE. This is going to be a tough one.
Goal 8: Participate in the Friends of Deckers Creek 1/2 Marathon
-Sign up
-train
-don't puss out
-Run it in less than 2 hours
I ran the Friends of Deckers Creek 1/2 as one of my goals in 2013. It was my first race, and I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes. I'd like to do it again and do it in under 2 hours, which is just under a 9 minute mile.
Goal 9: Too personal to share online. (It's relationship-related.)
Goal 10: Pass 5 or 6 classes
-2 Spring 2014
-1 or 2 Summer 2014
-2 Fall 2014
-Decide by April if I will take 1 or 2 summer courses
I'm trucking along in WVU's Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program. I hope that by the time the ball drops at the end of 2014, I have completed 5 or 6 more courses, which will bring me to over halfway done with the program. If I take one class at a time, I will take 5 this year. If I decide to be brave and take two at once during the summer, I will take 6. We'll see.
Goal 11: Plan a trip for 2015 (Mardi Gras? NYE in NYC? Beach? Caribbean?)
-Start deciding by end of April
-Save money
-Buy tickets/ make hotel reservations
-Request time off work
I went to Jamaica in 2013 with my roommate and I'm headed to Seattle with my boyfriend and family this summer (thanks, Mom & Dad!) So I'd like to try to plan something with some friends for 2015.... but saving up money and vacation time just takes, well, time.
I went to Jamaica in 2013 with my roommate and I'm headed to Seattle with my boyfriend and family this summer (thanks, Mom & Dad!) So I'd like to try to plan something with some friends for 2015.... but saving up money and vacation time just takes, well, time.
Goal 12: Go to Bonnaroo (if the lineup is good)
-Save up
-Get tickets
-Take time off work
-Organize/coordinate camping gear and transportation
I went to 'Roo '12 and 'Roo '13. Great times were had by all... almost the whole time. It will depend on the lineup, but I'd like to head down to Manchester again for a few days away from real life. My 'Roo '14 picks? I'd love to see Tool, Modest Mouse, Cake, Beck, Muse, NIN, 311... and a bunch of others but those are high up there on my list.
Goal 13: Be in the ocean
Ok... I'm breaking my own rule for this because I don't have a plan. It's honestly just not likely to happen this year. But I want to make it a goal just in case the opportunity arises, because salt water is excellent for your skin and soul.
Ok... I'm breaking my own rule for this because I don't have a plan. It's honestly just not likely to happen this year. But I want to make it a goal just in case the opportunity arises, because salt water is excellent for your skin and soul.
Goal 14: Actively seek knowledge/inspiration
-Try to read the online news 3x/week
-Check out Pinterest at least 2x/week
-watch at least 2 documentaries
Your mind gets bored when you don't introduce it to new things. Sure, I obsessively check my Twitter feed. But it's hard to tell what's jibber-jabber and what's substantial on there. I need to make a better effort to actually read the news. I also need to learn new things and see ideas - which Pinterest does perfectly. I hadn't been on Pinterest in over a year, and I just reset my password the other day so I'm good to go. My boyfriend also has a Netflix account and he says there are lots of documentaries on there, so I hope we can watch a few this year.
What are your goals for 2014? Aim high!
Your mind gets bored when you don't introduce it to new things. Sure, I obsessively check my Twitter feed. But it's hard to tell what's jibber-jabber and what's substantial on there. I need to make a better effort to actually read the news. I also need to learn new things and see ideas - which Pinterest does perfectly. I hadn't been on Pinterest in over a year, and I just reset my password the other day so I'm good to go. My boyfriend also has a Netflix account and he says there are lots of documentaries on there, so I hope we can watch a few this year.
What are your goals for 2014? Aim high!
I enjoyed reading about your goals for 2014 Rachel. I agree with your thought about personal accountability being non-negotiable too. I've found that one of the best ways to hold myself accountable on personal goals is to make them public and to discuss my progress openly. Maybe that will work for you too. Keep writing and I'll keep reading. Happy New Year!
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