Today I want to look back at 2017 to see how I did reaching my goals. I have talked about goals in the past and how reviewing them regularly helps me to stay on track. Half way thru 2017, I did a review of my progress and asked the smart ass question “Are Your Goals Useless?”
In that post, I state “on New Year’s Eve, many of us make a big deal about creating resolutions to make changes in our lives. Resolutions, goals, intentions are pretty much useless unless you take the time to review your progress, identify your barriers and develop action plans.”
This is the year-end review of my 2017 goals to see whether they were met, addressed, abandoned, or simply not prioritized. It is proof that I follow my own advice regarding not simply making meaningless goals.
I tend to divide my goals into categories that are meaningful to me. If you are a frequent reader, you will not be surprised to see the headings HEALTH, WEALTH AND HAPPINESS GOALS below!
2017 Health Goals in Review
- Be flexible enough to touch my toes – I have written about this goal and why achieving it is important to me several times in the past including here. In that post, I wrote that I was 10 inches away from reaching my toes. At my 6 month update I was 4 inches away from my toes. Today, I am 3 inches away. Although I can occasionally reach down and hold on, it is not consistent by any stretch. NOT DONE but making progress!
- Get blood work done – DONE
- Go to the dermatologist – DONE
- Get a mammogram – DONE
- Get a colonoscopy – DONE
- Drink 4 pints of water per day – I found this too hard to measure and decided although it is good for my health it will come off of my goal list.
- Learn the series of 108 Tai Chi Moves – I completed a 4 month class last winter and will likely start again soon. – DONE
2017 HAPPINESS (Relationship) Goals in Review
- Go on a kayaking trip – This morphed into going on a cruise to Alaska which was on my “Must Do Before I Die” list. – DONE and highly recommended!
- Go to Florida to visit Mother Fran – I drove to Florida in the winter of 2017 with my honey and went again in December by myself. – DONE
- Host 4 gatherings at home with friends – DONE
Goal Met 2017 Happiness Goals in Review
- Average 4 Blog Posts per month – I averaged 3.75 blog posts per month. – NOT DONE
- Complete a garden project – I expanded my flower garden area and will consider this goal met. I had visions of doing more but with all of my raking and gardening for others I simply didn’t prioritize doing my own. – DONE
- Complete a furniture project – The dresser that I wrote about during my 6 month review is still sitting in the garage and the drawers are 1/2 stripped and sitting in the basement. – NOT DONE.
- Track and earn Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s) – This goal became study for my Health Coach Exam. At this point, I have reviewed all of the material, completed 2 study webinars and done plenty of studying on my own. – DONE
- Update my Strategic Plan – NOT DONE but I have given it some thought.
2017 Wealth (Financial) Goals in Review
- Increase income by 15% over 2016 – I increased my income 5% over 2016. I don’t track hours worked but I am guessing most of this came from negotiating a higher hourly rate of pay at my per-diem job. Although I didn’t reach my goal I am pretty psyched that I increased my income without decreasing my joy! – NOT MET but happy with the progress.
- Increase car fund to $12,000 or buy a car. You can read about my new wheels here! – DONE
- Max out IRA – DONE
- Max out HSA – DONE
- Invest $4000 in stock market. I put $3000 into a Vanguard Small Cap Value Index fund. I have set aside the last $1000 but haven’t sent invested it yet as the stock market has been so high. This sounds silly even to me so I am going to send the final $1000 right now and call this goal – DONE! (Just did it)!
Make a plan to reach your goals
Did you notice that one of my unmet goals was to update my strategic plan? I wrote my strategic plan several years ago and it is the blueprint for how I want to live my life. My annual goals help me stay on course toward strategically living my life according to that blueprint. Before writing my 2018 goals, I want to update my strategic plan to ensure nothing has changed in the larger scheme of things. Why set a course to stay on a path if the path has altered direction?
Lake Girl