2017 Goals

I love lists.  I do.  I admit.

Goal lists?  Even better.  I make plans and I thrive on holding myself accountable to those dreams.  For 2016, I lost my list.  My phone's battery went haywire and when the folks at the Apple Store offered to replace it, I had no idea that my Notes app wasn't backed up and alllll of my yearly goal lists from as far back as 2012 were gone, including the current year.

Of course, I remembered most of them.  Specifics are a little fuzzy.  These are the ones I remember -

Re-brand.
I made the transition from Emma Fair Photography to something that spoke to who I am and the things that are most important to me.  I had left this goal very open ended because at the time, I wasn't sure where it would end up.  But here we are, and I'm so thrilled.

Find a mentor.
Done.  Did.  If you haven't read previously, I completed an internship in the Spring with the wonderful, amazing, talented (and beautiful) Megan Gielow of Morning Wild Photography.  I can't go on about how this changed me, mostly because I don't know the words to describe how.  Not in a way that could summarize and wrap it in a bow.  It's more of a feeling that I carry with me now.  If you're ever looking for someone to inspire and push you, you'll find her ready and able.

Live healthy.
Okay, this didn't go the way it should have.  I meant to be back at the gym at least three times a week.  I feel best when workouts and healthy/clean eating are part of my daily routine.  This year, I did put that goal on the back burner and I was fortunate to get to the gym twice a month.  I was not committed to a healthier diet.  Basically I let this year go.

Camp and take one BIG trip!
We did go camping a couple times.  I'll give us a C- in this department because we didn't fail entirely, but we weren't able to take as many trips to the mountains as we would have liked.  Our big trip did not happen.

Make friends.
This might sound like a really silly one, but being a military family, we're often transient.  We move to a location and by the time I've gotten into a routine and know all the road names, we have orders to move again in 6 months.  When we moved to Norfolk, I had just gotten out of the Navy and was 6 months pregnant.  We tore our house apart and my husband went on deployment.  I was piecing together a house, managing a contractor building our garage, taking care of our oldest, and trying to assemble the "what next" for my career.  I figured that by the time we had everything under control, we'd move again and there would be no time to make friends.  But 2016 would be our third year in Hampton Roads and it was about time I made some friends for myself.  When I made this goal, I could never have imagined all the amazing, wonderful people that I was able to meet and call friends this year.  If you're reading this, I probably mean you.

Things that I did this year that I didn't plan on but made my year so much better as a result -

  • Worked with a business coach.  Eryn - you're the cat's pajamas.
     
  • Invested in self care that was not "health" related - like JUST listening to music or going to a movie by myself.  I invested in a new bike to take leisure rides around surrounding areas as an alternative to driving or walking.  I also bought myself flowers on occasion and learned a bit about floral design.
     
  • I added MANY potted plants to my house - in several varieties.  I have always wanted to care for plants and didn't think I would be able to keep them alive.  I decided in August that the only way to learn more about taking care of plants was to get them and study my results.  I'm happy to report that they're all alive and well.
     
  • I printed photos of our family and from my own wedding to hang around our house.  Another downfall of being a military family is that I don't always get around to hanging our family photos and art.
     
  • I bought a 35mm film camera and dove into film.

As soon as December began, I was dreaming up goals for 2017.  I have a really specific, extensive list, but these are the highlights -

Let's do this one again - Live healthy.
It's fair to say that this goal should be on my list every year.  For 2018, I hope that I can change it to "continue to live healthy."  For this coming year, I am going to make strides to add more intentional meal planning and being more active.  My new bike makes me so happy - I'm going to continue to go for leisure rides and run more often.

Camp more and go to Spain.
We didn't get to Spain last year.  We ran out of time.  This year, we are.  We are, we are.  It's my mantra.

Be in more photos.
Every family trip that we take, I try to remember to hand the camera over to Chris.  Sometimes, I forget.  This year, I want to be more intentional about being in the photos.

Organize the house and finish projects.
I have a 5 gallon bucket of paint sitting in my entry way.  It's entirely possible that it has been sitting there for a year.  I AM going to paint my entry way, dining room, and the third floor of our house this year.  I have frames with our artwork and family photos waiting to be displayed on our walls.

Explore medium format film.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Pentax 645N.  This year, I'm going to explore film more in my personal work and perhaps sneak it into some of my client work.

Budget.
We are getting serious about our budgeting goals this year with the help of YNAB.  Until recently, we have struggled to keep track of our goals from the many accounts that we have, but YNAB is the relief that we've been searching for.  For many couples, money is a tough subject and that is so true for us.  To be completely real, we argue almost exclusively about money.  Most of it stems from both of us not having the complete knowledge of where we stand within our many accounts at that moment in time.  Sometimes we think we know, but we aren't 100% sure.  Now, with YNAB, we are sure.  We have little pots of money, savings goals, and can keep track of our true expenses.  In 2017, our money will work for us, not the other way around.  I'm so optimistic.

Serve more.
This might be one of the most important.  Chris and I were lying in bed the other night and somehow we came to discussing the things we did for others this year.  The list wasn't very long and we were both disappointed.  Chris spent this year getting his Architecture Registration and we were both very busy.  Busy with the house and the kids, elementary school, cub scouts, trips we managed to take, with house guests.  We donated money, we donated household items, we volunteered for community related things.  We expressed our gratitude to members of our community that enrich our lives and don't make enough for all that they do.  We could have done more and next year we will make a greater effort to think of ways that we can do so.

I'd love to hear what your goals are for your personal life and your business and what you're doing to make them a reality.