Planning, Dreaming, Goal Setting

I am a BIG dork when it comes to the New Year. I hate the word “resolution” because it simply implies that you are writing down (if you even write them down) some goals for the year…only to get two weeks into them and throw in the towel.

I don’t make resolutions. I set goals. Brainstorm new ideas and plan out new adventures that I can take or that we can take as a family.

Last year, I set some pretty lofty goals including finishing my novel and reading 52 books in a year. Needless to say, I am only about 60ish pages into a story that I’ve had in my head for ages and I only read about 12 books (three of them being The Hunger Games Trilogy and three more being 50 Shades of Grey…). I did grow and expand my business like I had hoped and I did upgrade my camera. So, I hit half of the goals that I set for myself.

I started planning and brainstorming new goals for 2013 long before the year was actually over. While I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t have to be a New Year to set new goals, there is something sparkly and shiny about the first day of the first month of a brand new year. Something that makes me giddy.

This year my goals are broken into four different sections. Personal Goals. Business Goals. Blogging Goals. Photography Goals.

I’ve got them all written in a notebook (a brand new one, at that) to keep myself in check. But isn’t accountability supposed to one of the best ways to make sure you stay on track with things like this?

Personal Goals

• Get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. As of right now I’m only about 13 pounds shy of that number. Ideally I’d like to lose those 13 pounds and then an additional 10. That would get me back to my goal weight. And I’d be satisfied. However…fitness isn’t about the numbers to me. So if I never see that number again, that’s fine. So long as I’m healthy and in shape. (And back in a size 8 jeans.)
• Read More. I love to read. Nothing relaxes me more than a good book that I can lose myself in. While I’ll never be able to read 52 books in a year (at least not until the boys move out and I can sit and do nothing but read all day), I’d love to read at least one or two per month. I downloaded the Kindle app on my phone (already have it on the iPad) so that I can read at night while I’m up nursing. Any recommendations on what to read?
• Run a 5K. Last year I started the Couch to 5K training and loved it. Once I get the okay from my doctor to ease back into training, I’d love to be able to run one before the year is over.
• Write in my journal at least once a week. I share a lot here on my blog, but I do have a regular journal. As of late, I haven’t been very good at keeping it updated. My goal is to make more time for that this year.

Photography Goals

• Become a Clickin’ Mom Pro. This is my big goal for the year (photography wise). My big, big one. The ladies that are CM Pro’s are remarkable. To even be considered good enough to be listed among them would be a huge honor. If I could just finish getting my portfolio together, I’d be ready to bite the bullet and apply.
• Take an Online Class or Workshop. I  have my eyes on a few workshops that Clickin’ Moms offers as well as an online workshop geared specifically toward photographing boys.
• Take monthly photos of the boys together. I was really bad at taking monthly pictures of Noah (then again, I wasn’t into photography when he was  baby like I am now). I’m determined to take at least one really good, posed photo of the boys together every month. And…I’d like to keep up with Jonah’s monthly updates as well.
• Take more photos of myself with the boys. I have a lot of photos of my kids. And I have a good deal of pictures of them with their daddy. But not a lot of them with me. That needs to change.
• Buy another prime lens. I really want an 85 mm. And…if I can justify it to my husband, I’d love to go full frame this year and splurge on the Mark iii. We’ll see, we’ll see…

Business Goals

• Create and sell at least FIVE pre-made WordPress themes.
• Create and sell pre-made branding packages and logos for photographers.
• Cut down on my hours so that I can explore and create other things (like photographs) and spend more time with family.

Blogging Goals

• Reach 1,000 RSS/Email Subscribers. I’m at 790 now. Surely I can hit this number before 2014 is upon us, right?
• Reach 1,000 Facebook Fans. Again, I’m at 629 now.
• Start a Newsletter.
• Work with companies/brands that I support.
• Have some of my writing published elsewhere (BlogHer, Huffington Post, etc.)

I have some other goals (especially goals pertaining to photography and business), but these are the ones at the top of my list this year. Obviously we have goals as a family as well. Like taking a trip back to Alabama to visit family. And, if things go like we hope, taking a vacation to Hawaii in the Fall with some friends.

Do you make New Years Resolutions? What’s on your “want to achieve” list this year?