Setting new monthly goals based on my annual 2021 goals
Hi and welcome to my monthly goals post! It’s been a long time, but I’m resurrecting my goals posts where I include pictures of my dog dressed up all cute (or at least I think he’s cute) and I talk about my goals for the month. Since this is my first goals post of the year I’m just going to set new monthly goals based on my annual goals. Going forward, I’ll recap how I did for the last month and set new goals for the next month.
Navigation and antique navigational instruments themed
It’s 2021!! Yayayayay let’s celebrate with a January 2021 bullet journal plan with me! Or, yunno, champagne or bourbon works too. This month’s theme is navigation and antique navigational instruments — such as sextants, compasses, sundials, telescopes, etc.
And heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
(Hopefully that light is actually the end of the tunnel and not a train.) It’s that time of year! Time to review goals from the past year and set new goals for the next year. So grab your beverage of choice — tea, coffee, bourbon, whatever — and let’s reflect and plan!
Annual setup theme: Water lilies and lotuses
It’s the end of the year, so it’s time to set up goals for next year! And ooooh look! I made a video! Light a candle (or, if you're like me, set off the smoke alarm), grab your favorite drink, and let's set some smart goals and intentions for 2021! (Bonus surprise: PRINTABLES!)
My first ultramarathon!!
How do I describe running 31 miles in the mountains? The fact that I’m struggling to describe it tells me one thing: it’s a lot to process. I’m remembering the race in snippets, like scenes from a dream: a long line of runners streaking across a field in blue pre-dawn light, the angry buzz of perturbed yellow jackets, gravel roads that continue for miles, swollen mountain streams, the arduous climb to the summit, the thrill of the technical downhill running, the smell of cookies and bananas and PB&J, and the final grueling miles in the late afternoon heat. Thirty-one miles is a montage of pain and stubbornness.
Theme: Lanterns and light
It’s mid-December, so we’re all excited to plan and set goals for next year! But before you set new goals (or if it’s your first time setting annual goals), it’s important to review this year so you understand what went well, what didn’t go well, what’s in your control, and determine steps forward to drive your annual goals. I can guide you through this process and I even have some free printables for this!
It had been a while though since my last backpacking trip, so when a friend asked if we wanted to go very socially distanced backpacking (we hike at slightly different paces and we’d have all our own separate gear) on the Appalachian Trail then I jumped at the opportunity! A little bit of planning later and we had a section hike mapped out: Sam’s Gap to Spivey Gap along the NC-TN border.
I heard one time that having a long bucket list meant you were a very optimistic person. Or, that you’re silly and delusional, I forget which. But the gist is that if you have a long bucket list, you are imagining a future full of life and experiences. And, while a 370 item (plus an extra 42 mountains to summit and 28 long trails to hike/run) bucket list is…more than a bit excessive…I like to think that this list is an aspirational guideline for when I need inspiration.