Each year I set goals to help me focus on my priorities and grow as a person. I spend an hour or so each month looking back at what I’ve accomplished that past month and planning specific steps I can take to move forward during the next month.
2015 Goals
Professional
1. Add high school certification to my teaching license
-I’m so excited! After passing my PRAXIS test in February and submitting all of the necessary information to my state board of education, I am now certified in grades 6-12 English!
2. Develop a remediation curriculum for middle school English
-I taught a 6th grade English remediation class at my school last year. I also tutor after school and teach summer school. I hadn’t found a curriculum that I really liked for this group of kids, so I decided to make my own. It is working well so far!
3. Add 10 products to my Teachers Pay Teachers store
-I have now added 4 products. If you are a teacher or homeschooling parent, check out my post on selling on Teachers Pay Teachers! Honestly, I’ve put my Teachers Pay Teachers store on the back burner since I started this blog. I hope to add a few more products to it this fall, as I do enjoy the passive income gained from it.
Spiritual
4. Pray the Morning Prayers at least 4 times a week
-I am really excited at how much improvement we’ve made on this. I wrote about our new morning plan for including prayers here.
5. Read through the New Testament
-I just finished James. I am on track to complete the New Testament by the end of the year.
6. Read 3 spiritual books
-I have finished two: In the Heart of the Desert by Fr. John Chryssavgis and The Way of A Pilgrim translated by Olga Savin.
-I am currently working on Following a Sacred Path: Raising Godly Children by Elizabeth White.
Family
7. Do one family outing a month
-We went on several outings this month. Fall is great for family fun! We went apple picking, visited a farm and had a hay ride, went on a hike to see the leaves, and spent an afternoon riding bikes at the park. Oh, fall, how I do love you.
8. Have one date night a month (in or out of house)
–We had another couple over for dinner and game playing. A great in-house double date!
9. Watch 12 movies on AFI Top 100 list
-We have watched 9 so far.
-My husband is really busy right now working on his dissertation and applying for jobs, so we have gotten a bit behind on our movie-watching.
Personal
10. Complete the 30 Day Abs Challenge
-I am beginning to despair of ever accomplishing this one. I’ve started at least three different times but always get bogged down around Day 10. Has anyone else tried this?
11. Run a 5K
-Hallelujah! I finished this one. So excited to accomplish this goal.
12. Publish one piece of writing
-I submitted my first guest post to Money Saving Mom in February. Then I had another post in June. Check them out!
13. Read 100 books
-96 so far! I’m definitely on track to complete this goal this year. When I started this challenge I thought it might be too outrageous. Now I’m excited that it seems completely reachable!
What are your goals? How are you doing on reaching them?
(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)
Goals for 2015
Physical
Healthy diet (mostly)
Sit and Be Fit twice a week — I’ve usually done 5 days a week.
Exams
Physical–done.
Eye–done.
Derm–done.
Spiritual
ABF/Church — as much as possible.
Bible reading — finished reading through the Bible in October.
Spiritual book each month — really fallen down on this. Currently reading Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
Quilting
Repair one old quilt–done.
Make one baby quilt — finished one and almost finished a second.
Finish monster quilt — not going to happen this year.
Reading- lots.
Cooking- Make one new recipe each month. Yes. This month I am making 2.
Home — We put in a well, had a shed built, and an irrigation system installed instead. These will go to the 2016 Goals list.
Have interior painted
Have sewing machine cabinet refinished
Travel
Central Texas Birding April — the weather was not cooperative so we didn’t go; maybe 2016.
Yosemite in May–done.
Alaska Cruise in August–done.
Butterfly meeting in November — done.
Photograph each day for 365 App — not done. Maybe next year.
Florence, your goals sound wonderful! I love that you included travel and quilting in them. My mother also quilts, and our children have enjoyed their baby quilts every day. Such a great skill to have!
Seriously, I am VERY impressed about your reading habit and book challenge! That is truly impressive. Most people challenge themselves to read 5 books and still fail. I have been reading more than usually as well and I love it 🙂
Thanks, Reelika! I have a little bit of an edge up, though. Since I’m a reading teacher, I try to read lots of books so I can have conversations with my middle schoolers. It provides some extra incentive when you know that a seventh grade boy is waiting for you to finish the next Spy School book so you can talk about it 🙂
Congrats on adding another certification level to your teaching license! It’s one of the main reasons I am keeping my initial teaching license (from Nebraska) current because I’m certified 0 to grade 8 there, and in Indiana, I’m only 0 to grade 3. TpT is on my list to start posting over Christmas.