Reflecting on 2023: A Review of Last Year’s Goals and How To Set New One’s This Year
As we step into the year of the Dragon, it’s time to reevaluate previous goals and set new ones. In 2023, I set 8 goals to intentionally improve on throughout the year. Now its time to take a look back on my progress and see what I achieved. Setting 8 goals was definitely ambitious, but it was not unattainable. Let’s take a look at the ways I intended to make changes to my life in 2023 and what I learned along the way.
Reevaluating My 8 Goals of 2023: What Did I Learn?
First and foremost, I reevaluated my fitness goals for the year. I wanted to be more active in the gym and incorporate more yoga into my life. If you thought that I might have given up two months into it like most people, then I can proudly relieve you of those thoughts because I made a huge improvement on my gym and cardio activity. Most of the credit belongs to my wonderful physical therapist, who I spent lots of time with last year. Having a professional by my side helped push me beyond my limits and make exercising a regular part of my schedule. Similarly, a personal trainer (online or in-person) can help you figure out the best fitness plan for you and hold you accountable to your goals. In regards to yoga and stretching, I wish I had the same progress to report. There was a good start at the beginning of the year, and then I had to give up a few weeks in. I’ve decided not to beat myself up too much since the problem was not a lack of motivation. The problem was my ongoing health issues that regularly got in the way of being able to complete some goals. However, I’m not ready to give up on my dream of doing the splits, so the New Year will give me an opportunity to try and reach my fingertips past their limits.
Ways to hit your fitness goals this year:
Hire a fitness coach or personal trainer
Go to fitness classes
Get a fitness app (like the Peloton app) or make a Youtube playlist of your favorite workouts
Keep track of your activity in a journal or fitness planner
My second goal of the year was to become more grounded in my faith and spend more time with God. I always think more could be done, but I can confidently say that this goal was accomplished. My efforts began by attending church in person again and watching services online on days when I couldn’t make it. Additionally, I joined an online women’s bible study group and attended an Elevation Worship night in Atlanta. It really felt like God was calling me to his presence and I tried my best to answer his calls.
Ways to stay connected to your faith in 2024:
Take a friend or family member to church with you
Join a bible study group or small group and put the dates of meetings on your calendar
Find concerts and events near you
Listen to podcasts
Next up, we have my goal to get in the kitchen more and prepare meals at home. As I said before, there’s always room for improvement, but I think I stuck to this one pretty well. Of course, I still went out to eat with friends about once or twice a month. On the nights that I didn’t go out, I stayed home and cooked for myself and the family. It was definitely a work in progress at first to feel confident in the kitchen again. I also made some minor dietary changes. This included going dairy free and gluten free as much as possible, while adding more vegetables to my diet. Some of my favorite meals made in 2023 included Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos, Shredded Chipotle Beef, Strawberry Balsamic Salad, Turkey Smash Burgers with Truffle Aioli Sweet Potato Fries, and Barbecue Pulled Pork. I can’t wait to find new recipes to try in 2024!
Ways to stick to dietary goals in 2024:
Join a meal prep service, like Hello Fresh
Plan meals for each week every month
Decide on dine out days and keep them on a calendar for accountability
Fast a few times in the year to reset your dietary goals if you get off track.
Recycle favorite meals and try new recipes once a month if you get bored
One goal I still struggle with is balancing all my many personal responsibilities. I hate to say that the 3+ planners I bought last year did not help me manage my time like I hoped they would. It finally dawned on me that I had to focus solely on the most important responsibilities if I wanted to accomplish any goals before the end of the year. That being said, it’s definitely okay to prioritize some things over others until you get back on track.
Due to my shift in focus, I did achieve some major wins last year, like getting accepted into Court Reporting School, getting interviewed about the blog, and having my first affiliate marketing deal. I think what helped me stay focused the most was having daily to-do lists that I kept at a maximum of 5-8 tasks. My ADHD always wants to add 10 more tasks, but a therapist suggested only focusing on 5 tasks that are likely to be achieved that day. This ensures that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Another helpful tidbit to stay organized is treating every goal like a job. My blog tends to improve and generate more success when I devote a serious attitude and as much time as I would to a regular job. This tip can be applied to anything in life and will always ensure great results.
One thing I had to put on the back burner in 2023 was my passive income goals. As much as I wanted to bring those goals to fruition, I had to focus on future investments and career goals. Selling digital and physical products relating to blogging has been a dream from the start, but it had to be put on hold last year. Perhaps I will have more time to make that dream come true this year.
Ways to manage your busy schedule:
Using digital and physical calendars or planners (daily, weekly, and monthly)
Treat every hobby like a 9-5 job
Don’t add too many goals and tasks
Plan and reevaluate your big goals quarterly instead of yearly to ensure success by the end of the year
Ways to make passive income in 2024:
Sell easy-to-make digital products (like an online course)
Write an ebook
Become an affiliate marketing partner
Resell clothes, shoes, or vintage items
Making more time for friends and family was always on my mind in 2023. I became a bit self-conscious about fulfilling my duties as a friend and family member because my health obstacles prevented me from socializing as much. It became easier to do that as I slowly recovered, mentally and physically, throughout the year. In 2023, I was able to enjoy several hiking trips with friends and family, and I had a great birthday with several family members. The quality time was not just great for everyone else, but it was the best thing for me as well. It helped get me through the rough seasons and continuous depression that was plaguing me for nearly a year. Due to the great benefits and fun memories, I intend to plan many more fun activities with friends and family in 2024.
Ways to spend more time with friends and family in 2024:
Plan weekend trips
Ask what things your loved ones have always wanted to try, but haven’t done yet
Plan meetups with extended family (like the new Tiktok trend where all the adult cousins have a sleepover at their grandparents’ house)
Have regular game nights and movie nights
Invite friends to family gatherings
Have regular lunch or dinner dates
The one goal I feel I succeeded at best was my promise of not dating for an entire year. I won’t spend much time on that subject since I wrote about my entire dating hiatus experience in a previous post.
My least successful goal was attempting to have a better attitude in spite of challenges. I’m just going to chalk it up to being an impatient, aggressive, short-tempered Aries. But hey, at least there’s one thing I can continue to work on in the New Year!
Hopefully this post will give you some ideas on how to reset your new year and make it more gratifying in the end. The work is continuous, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Take your time, give yourself some grace, and enjoy the progress ahead of you! Happy New Year’s!
