After last year's 31 things failure and a decent amount of reflection, I decided to completely restructure my goals for 2018.  And if the mere mention of New Year's resolutions makes your eyes roll so deeply that they rattle the back of your skull, please refer to this lovely piece written by my talented friend, Corinna.

The Plan

In December, I wagered a friendly challenge with a coworker to see who could workout more. I lost, but that's beside the point. For the entire month, I was motivated, making active efforts to get workouts in when it worked for my schedule. Sometimes I woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the gym before work, other times I snuck in a quick workout with family while on vacation. 

The point is, it was much easier to wrap my head around modifying my behavior for a month rather than this do-or-die yearlong expectation. So I thought - what if for the upcoming year, I focus on a different "challenge" each month? I don't have to stop doing that skill or habit once the month is over, but for one month I will focus solely on the task at hand.

And because of who I am as a person, I will challenge myself with a few overarching goals for the whole year. 

The Big Three

We'll refer to these overarching goals as The Big Three - focusing on physical health, mental wellbeing, and stewardship toward others.

The first is a carryover from last year - run 365 miles. 

While I didn't make it last year, I did get close with 224 miles. The problem is, when I don't have a race on the horizon, I just don't run. Breaking it down, I only need to average about 30 miles a month, or 7.5 miles a week. Obviously, some months will be higher volume due to half marathon training, but my hope is this will help me focus on running when I'm not training.

The second is to check in with yourself and give yourself the permission to say no. 

By nature, I'm a list-maker for just about anything and everything. There is a plan for the day, the week, the month, the year. And nothing gives a bigger satisfaction than checking something off or filling something out. One of my besties suggested trying the Day Designer, so my goal is to use it frequently and often. By realigning and refocusing often, I'll give myself the power to structure my routine and prevent overextension, allowing me to be the best version of myself possible and present for those who need me the most.

The third is one of my favorites - Project Happy Mailbox, or sending a card at least once a month to someone.

I successfully completed this last year, and it was not only incredibly easy, it was one of my favorite 31 things.

The whole thing started after checking my mail. It had been a few weeks and the pile was huge. As I started sorting through pounds of paper, I noticed everything was either a bill or some junk mail addressed to "resident," and it made me a little sad. I know it's silly, but it made me feel forgotten, overlooked if you will. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is probably how a lot of people feel.

So I decided to change that. I started sending cards to people. Nothing overly special, just something to say hey and let them know that someone thought about them. 

This year my plan is to do the same. If I don't have your address, message me and I'll send you a card, it's that simple.

The Challenges

Here's the fun part! A different focus for each of the 12 months. Some will be easy, others will challenge me on a daily basis. Here they are:

January - Plan Month

As excited as I am to do EVERYTHING, I have to protect my energy. Often times, I'll go balls to the wall for weeks or months on end, until I'm merely sprinting toward an impossible goal on fumes. January will exist for me to ease into the challenges, and allow me to lay the groundwork for the following 11 months. This means outlining in plain, simple terms the steps needed for each month. 

February - Read Month

This month, I will focus on reading for pleasure. Unlike last year, I won't make myself read a certain number of pages per day, but I will make a point to read, even if it's only for 10 minutes, every single day. 

March - Pro Month

Here's where the real work starts! This month, I'll focus on cleaning up the website, polishing my resume and finally putting together a new portfolio. In action, this means refreshing the look and feel of the website, updating old blog posts that may no longer be working and showcasing my latest work both design-wise and on-air. By the end of the month, be ready for a whole new look and feel for shmedia.

April - Declutter Month

How do we accumulate so much CRAP?! This month will focus on simplifying and getting rid of anything and everything that is no longer serving a purpose. Instead of trying to do it all at once, each day will have a different area of focus so it's not as overwhelming and actually gets done.

May - Yoga Month

Coming off of half marathon training, I'll take the month of May to recharge with yoga. I like yoga when I do it, but the problem is I never do it consistently. Even if it's only for 5 minutes, I will practice yoga every single day this month.

June - Water Month

I try to drink a gallon of water a day, but usually end up falling a little short. As we get into the hot months of summer, the focus this month will be finishing the gallon every day. 

July - Treat Yo'self Month

This will likely be the hardest month. I hate this term, but I struggle with self-care. I will focus so hard on everything that needs to get done, that doing something out of pure pleasure ends up at the bottom of the list, never to be crossed off. This month I will focus on something different every single day that is just for me, and it will be item #1 on any to do list.

August - Charity Month

After focusing inward for a month, I will take the following month focusing on the outer world. This will include small acts of kindness and volunteering for causes I feel strongly about.

September - Flexitarian Month

The first month to focus on food! I've always been intrigued by vegetarianism, but I truly don't know if I could give up all meat forever. I read an article about flexitarianism, or the practice of following a mostly vegetarian diet, with the ability to have meat a few times a week. This month, I will focus on eating vegetarian meals for at least two whole days a week and having 26 or fewer ounces of meat a week.  

October - New Skill Month

It's so easy to get wrapped up in our routines, this month will challenge me to pick up new skills. I don't need to have a new skill every day, but there is flexibility to learn more than one new thing.

November - Meal Prep Month

Since we started the year planning, will head back toward our roots at the end of the year. This month will focus on grocery shopping purposefully and setting aside time to batch prepare meals so we can focus on the upcoming holidays.

December - Writing Month

As we all know, December is nuts. The final month of the year, I'll focus on a passion - writing. I don't have to publish everything I write, but I do need to devote time to writing even just a little bit every day. 

But Why Share All of This?

So there you have it, everything I want to focus on this year. It takes a lot of vulnerability to share all of this, which may leave you asking why?

First, speaking it into existence, no matter how scary, makes it public. Holds me accountable. This means I'll get to share successes, and more importantly, have to own up to failure. 

Secondly, there is power in numbers. My hope is that by sharing my goals, I may persuade you to join me in a challenge or two. Together we all achieve more, and if you would like support, I'm here to share with you and cheer you on.

Third, I have no illusions of grandeur, but my hope is that my vulnerability gives you the power to be brave. If my actions and words can inspire you to make the world a better place, then it's worth the discomfort. I'm not asking you to change your whole life, or do as I do, but what I am asking is for you to act on your ambitions if anything I have said motivated you in any way.

Movements often start by making a tiny change. So are you in?