Brian Tracy, in The Power of Discipline, said, “A wish is a goal with no energy behind it.”
I agree – goals are greater than wishes.
I am certainly thankful that I set 18 goals to accomplish in 2018 because I know for sure many of the items on my list would not have come to fruition without putting them in writing and making them public. You can read my original blog post where I credit author Gretchen Rubin with the inspiration to set 18 goals for 2018.
How did I do? Here are my “18 for 2018” and my progress to date:
Write a blog every week. Check – This is blog #74 and counting. In 2019 I intend to upgrade this goal by incorporating guest blogs once a month. If this interests you, please be in touch!
Create a video at least once a month. Almost – In October I did not create a new video but used one I created in the past. This goal continues to challenge me and I intend to continue it in 2019.
Give at least 10 speeches during 2018. Check – In fact, after giving a speech at a conference next week my total will be an even dozen.
Speak to at least one non-nutrition professional audience. Just in time – next week’s audience is my one non-nutrition professional audience.
Finish writing nutrition communication book for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Almost – I am finished with my writing and by the end of the year all of the other authors should be finished – this was huge!
Increase the size of the Nutrition Communicator community. Check – I set some modest targets and have met or come close to meeting each one.
Clean out my home office files and reorganize file storage. Work in progress – This goal will be a rollover into 2019 and I hope to get it accomplished in January, which is everyone’s favorite month to get organized.
Take at least one day “off” each month for an adventure with Joe. Check – These often involved other family members as well. It’s so important to “play.”
Visit a new place. Check – Visiting my brother and family in Wilmington, Delaware was a new city for us.
Upgrade my iPhone. Check – Hard to believe I have the most advanced phone in the family.
Find the perfect cross-body purse. Check – Brighton makes great cross-body purses with built-in wallets and even better, they rewarded me with a $50 discount for donating a used purse. That’s a win-win!
Redecorate the dining room. Check – If you didn’t read my blog with photos, you can now.
Have dinner with extended family each week. Check – My husband commented that this goal was like putting “brush your teeth” on your list. I categorized it as one of my “easy” goals because I wanted to make sure I “practice what I preach” about family meals. I am pleased to report that as of this week we’ve had 95 dinners with extended family in 2018. Once we get through the holidays that number will be well over 100.
Invite neighbors to dinner in our home once a month. Almost – We did this every month we were home. The two months we were traveling we did not. This goal and #15 are the ones that have made the biggest difference to us personally. We definitely want to continue this goal – it will take several years to get through our entire neighborhood.
Host a neighborhood block party. Check – You can read about it in this blog.
Enjoy outdoor recreation every day we are in Florida in February. Check – And we can’t wait to repeat this one in February 2019!
Try at least 1 new recipe each month. Check – Many recipes I tried were ones posted by fellow RDNs on social media.
Get new professional headshots. Check – I got this done in January and you can see them throughout my website and on social media.
Did you write "18 goals for 2018"? Or, any number? Did it help you accomplish things you might not have gotten done without making that commitment?
Remember, making progress = success. I look forward to setting 19 goals in 2019 and have already started to generate my list. Some will be carry-overs from this list, but others will challenge me in new ways. Stay tuned for January 2019.
“Imperfect progress is better than perfect procrastination.” ~ Lisa Allen
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