From the beginning, this has seemed like an off year for goals: I had a hard time naming them in January after a strong 2020, and felt a bit hobbled in sharing plans and progress before y’all knew we were expecting our third child. (And having a baby in July certainly bisects the year in an interesting way!) While I haven’t made as much progress as I might have envisioned at the beginning of 2021, I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished – all good things! Besides, I think I heard somewhere that little by little adds up, amiright? :) Let’s take a look! Goal no. 1: Make room for God’s presence by reading the Bible. Progress I’ve made: This goal is simple: a commitment to “Word before words,” or habit stacking reading my Bible each night before I pick up my current fiction or non-fiction read. Simple, but effective! Whether I read a few verses or multiple chapters, I have read the Bible before anything else probably 95% of evenings this year. So far, I’ve completed Mark, Acts, James, and Luke. I also read Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word!What I hope to accomplish in the next six months: More of the same! I’d actually like to slow down and choose one shorter book (maybe James!) to read several times and apply some of Jen’s suggestions as a first go at her method. Goal no. 2: Set joy before us. Progress I’ve made: There are so (SO) many things vying for our attention these days, and I named this goal to thoughtfully direct my eyes, heart, and effort to what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It has! Though we have enjoyed new joyful things this year, this goal has also been a

Astute readers will remember that not only did the end of February mark my thirtieth birthday, but the end of my 60 Before 30 project! This was one in a long line of goal sets with a longer time horizon, as I generally prefer them to yearly goals. Though I’ve done a few 101 in 1001s before, this was my first time trying a 60 before 30. In short, I LOVED it! I think I’ve improved over time at this long-term goal setting thing, because in the past, I’ve been a little over my lists by the time I entered the third or so year of them – but not this time. Though I didn’t complete all 60, I still feel as passionately about each of these as goals as I did three years ago. Partially, that’s because I allowed myself the freedom to replace any goals along the way that were no longer relevant or important to me. I only ended up changing about three, but the freedom to do so was liberating. To quote myself (ha), “I hope writing these things down and working toward them will help me become the person I want to be — strong in mind, body, and spirit; capable and adventurous; encouraging and kind; grateful and generous — when I reach a new decade.” So… did it work? I’d say yes! I will never be these things fully in this life, but I do think I am more these things than I was three years ago, and I think this project helped. Plus, I had a lot of fun along the way! Let’s take a look at how I did! We’ll start with the goals I did not complete (womp womp): — Host a themed party — Go on a missions trip &#

I am so pleased with the progress I’ve made on my 2017 goals — little bits, but all in the right direction. February is the last month of my 60 Before 30 project, so in addition to my four focal areas, you’ll also see monthly goals pulled from that list to finish strong. And, I added a new update that I’m planning to include going forward: what I read in the last month! What I read in January: Celebrate Everything, The Meaning of Marriage, The Power of a Praying Wife (ongoing), and The Lifegiving Home (ongoing). Those last two I plan to read a little at a time throughout the year! Revisiting my goals for January: Head to Val’s site and choose and order a prayer journal (was deciding between this one and this one and ended up ordering the undated) Look over Val’s recommended books on prayer and purchase one (bought this one and this one!) Mark monthly prep days in my planner and try my first one for January Celebrate June’s first birthday in tuxedo cat style! Finish June’s one year video Attend my free trial ballet class Restock my supply of cards Set a date for my favorite things party Buy one product Sam recommended during my personal consult Peruse the aisles of a bookstore for a new Bible February goals: — Peruse the aisles of a bookstore for a new Bible — Fill out the first month in my prayer journal — Host a favorite things party for neighborhood friends — Start my weekly ballet class! — Submit everything for HOA approval for our backyard project (it’s back on!) — Post one city for my Triangle guide — Hit 10k steps 4 out of 7 days a week (this will be a challenge, as I only

Over the last few years, I have set goals in many different ways. For two years I’ve posted my monthly goals on the blog, I’ve completed two 101 in 1001 goal sets, I’ve worked on daily goals, and I’m in the middle of a 60 Before 30 set of goals. Surprisingly, I have never really set yearly goals, although I think that is going to change in 2016! No matter what form my goals take, however, my goal setting process always starts ten steps back, with some serious time spent reflecting, evaluating, and refocusing on what matters most to me. Besides our celebration dinner and my annual year in review posts, my favorite tool for this is the PowerSheets. They are really thoughtfully made, and this year seamlessly guided me to come up with a cohesive picture of where I’ve come from, where I am now, and where I want to be in the future. I thought I’d share a few favorite pages from my workbook in case you’re working on your own!* One of the first exercises you’ll come to in the PowerSheets is the “Initial Goal Ideas” page. While it might seem strange to have this so close to the front, I think of it as a release valve, giving you a space for the ideas that are likely bubbling over now that you’ve started thinking about goals. This page was actually very telling for me, as I noticed I used words like “continue” and “stay” over and over. I’m skipping over the “what has and has not been working” pages, as we’re discussing those topics tonight and I’ll likely share more in tomorrow’s year in review post! I always love filling out the “what fires me up” page — it’s a pretty easy one for me (though