2012 Goal Progress

May 10, 2012
by Stephanie Pellett
4 min read
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Don’t ask me why I feel compelled to do a round-up of my 2012 goals in mid-May. It’s not quite halfway through the year, nor is this a quarterly report, I just feel like it’s the right time for me to assess my progress and get motivated for the next half-ish of the year. Ready? Okay!

In general, I have been so happy about these goals. I love that they’re tangible, I love that they’re check-off-able, and I love that they give me a bit of a direction in how I live my life. They help me focus on what I think is important, and that winds up shaping my everyday life in positive ways. That being said, I’ve made a lot of progress on some of my goals, and next to no progress on others. I’ve already scrapped one, and another is starting to seem like it doesn’t jibe with who I am or what I want anymore – funny how quickly things can change, right!? Anyhow, let’s go into a bit more detail.

Personal

  • Read 75 books this year/ I’ve read 14 so far
  • Take 5 trips/ I haven’t taken a single trip, unless you count going home for reading break and my birthday. I’ll hopefully be taking a couple in the summer, but 5 seems a little far off at the moment.
  • Bake & decorate 5 cakes [1, 2]/ I’m hoping to make a few more – not quite so elaborate as the first two! Maybe something light and fun for summer birthdays.
  • Bake 4 “breads” from scratch [1, 2]/ I have my eyes on PW’s X Bread, for one.

Creative

  • Write 100 blog posts (2 a week!)/ I’m currently at 54 posts, counting this one, which means I am well on-track for this goal! And it’s probably my favourite goal of all of them.
  • NaNoWriMo 2012/ Luckily, don’t have to worry about this one until November. But I am still totally motivated to write my 2nd novel!
  • Submit writing to 3 different newspapers or magazines/ This I have made no headway on. In fact, in all the hullabaloo of the past few months I completely forgot I’d even made this a goal. I’ll be getting on it ASAP!
  • Project 365 (see the photos on Flickr)/ I love this goal and I’ve been dutifully doing it every day. Haven’t missed a photo yet, knock on wood!
  • Complete 10 DIY projects (check them out here)/ I’m at 7/10 (haven’t posted the latest on the blog yet) and I hope to end up doing more than 10. This is my other favourite 2012 goal, it has been so much fun.
  • Write an ebook/ Nope. But I’ve started working on a cookbook, and I have thoughts milling about in my brain, so we’ll see if this will happen!

Physical

  • Take a photo of everything I eat / This was a nice thought, but it’s just not going to happen! I was in a very different headspace at the beginning of this year, and I no longer feel the need to obsess over food, count calories, or strictly monitor anything. I feel a lot more balanced, which is why I have no qualms about striking this goal from the list.
  • Lose 20 pounds/ I have similar feelings about this goal – I have not weighed myself since January (I don’t have a scale), and even though I lost probably about 10 pounds that month on the slow-carb diet, I no longer care. Yes, I’m still working at getting healthier, but no, I don’t really care about the weight itself. So this one too is getting struck from the list!
  • Be able to run 10K/ This goal, on the other hand, is still a happy and positive one for me. It’s a great milestone to aim for, and I have been slowly improving my running ability and distance over the last couple months. My last run, I ended up going 4.68km at a nice easy gait, and enjoyed it. Meaning I’m almost halfway there! Yay. 

Overall, mixed results. Some of my goals have gotten more attention than others (blogging, DIY), but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that it’s been wintery and more conducive to indoor pursuits. Hopefully more trips, running, and reading can take place this summer. I’m so excited for what’s to come.

Thanks for reading! How are your New Year’s Resolutions or 2012 goals going?

22 Before 22

April 12, 2012
by Stephanie Pellett
2 min read
11 Comments

It’s been strangely difficult to write this post. Mainly, I had to get myself over a mental hurdle, which was accepting that I’ll be 22 at my next birthday. I had this moment last week, where I realized I was turning 21, not 20, and it seriously freaked me out. There are probably some folks older than me in the audience who are scoffing at me freaking out about being 21, and trust me, I get it. But to a 21-year-old who is rounding the bend on the third of four years of a University degree, with almost zero conception of what she wants to do once she’s graduated, who never had any real plan for her life past University: this time is really scary. Being this age is pretty scary. It’s exciting, and wide-open, and awesome, but it’s also scary.

But be that as it may, I keep pushing myself. I get bored, I try new things, I gain new hobbies. Even though sometimes I’m terrified, or overwhelmed with anxiety, or feeling really low, I keep trying. I set goals, and I push myself to achieve them. That much I know! So I did compile a list of fun goals for my 21st year, even though I have 2012 goals already. I tried to choose things that can be checked off, and that will enrich my life in new ways.

If anyone reading wants to offer advice, send along links, or make suggestions about how I can achieve any of these birthday goals, I’d be thrilled to hear them. And, as always, thank you for following along with my life here on my blog, it means more to me than you know. xo.

22 Before 22

  1. Grow out my nails and get a manicure
  2. Run a race
  3. Make cheese at home
  4. Stay in a hotel and order room service
  5. Get a food blog post accepted to Tastespotting
  6. Become a penpal
  7. Read one Jane Austen novel
  8. Start a book club
  9. Make sushi
  10. Sew a dress
  11. Get a pet fish
  12. Send someone a care package
  13. Create a podcast
  14. Take a self-imposed break from the Internet
  15. Do a juice detox
  16. Take a photography class or workshop
  17. Grow herbs and cherry tomatoes
  18. Climb a tree
  19. Travel somewhere new
  20. Make cinnamon buns
  21. Self-publish a cookbook
  22. Have a tarot reading done

2012 Goals

January 1, 2012
by Stephanie Pellett
3 min read
8 Comments

My 2012 intentions are set, which means it’s time for the juicy measurable GOALS! I don’t know about you, but I love tracking things, and seeing progress. Which means that I have a lot more fun with measurable goals than with intentions – even though intentions are really important too!

To see the fully updated 2011 New Year’s Resolutions post, click here. I didn’t get as much accomplished as I might have liked, but I aimed for the moon and was really happy with where I landed.

This year, I am being no less ambitious. I know I could have made my blogging goal, so it’s staying the same. Turns out 100 books was too high, so I’m cutting it by a quarter. I’ve made simple adjustments to other goals and added some new ones. Each of them reflects something I want to learn or improve upon, and I think hope know I can get them all done by the end of 2012 if I really set my mind to it.

I’m posting my goals as a page on the blog here and will be updating it throughout the year. I’ve also created a public spreadsheet that I’ll be updating weekly with my progress. Gotta have that accountability!

Now, without further ado, my 2012 measurable goals!

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Taking Baby Steps

November 2, 2011
by Stephanie Pellett
4 min read
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Thanks to mimiBlog for the photo

Here’s the million dollar question: What can you do right now to achieve your goals?

 I just read about this idea in The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Leo has also written about this idea over at ZenHabits.

It’s a very powerful concept. My interpretation is this: many people have big dreams or plans for themselves, and aren’t sure where to start in order to accomplish them. Their aspirations may seem daunting, impossible, or maybe just time-consuming. But the way to achieve them is to start. Somewhere. Anywhere. And according to Tim? You should do it today.

He advocates a very straight-forward approach, and in my opinion the book is worth reading even just for this method of analysis. He includes a monetary calculation as well, which is really helpful for larger goals, but in this post I’m just going to focus on his ideas about first steps in the context of short-term goals.

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