NAS: 2014 Goals

Ladies I am so ecstatic for the Not Alone Series to be back again (don't let the late Tuesday posting fool you).  I really have missed interacting with all of you on a regular basis and reading about your life as a young, single, Catholic lady.  The holidays were blessed, even the stomach flu AND cold that graced my lovely body.  I got to email back and forth with my accountability partner Sarah at Footprints on My Heart which was awesome.  She is a super cool girl with a big heart and a genuine love of Our Lord and Our Lady so you should defiantly go check out her blog and get to know her.

I am back at school again for my last (l.a.s.t. LAST.) semester of nursing school which is just crazy, so please pray for me with that because big life decisions are fast approaching.  But before we get too dramatic about this whole graduation and big kid life thing I gotta point you towards my goals for 2014.  Not all of my goals are for the whole semester (Jen, having a perfect goal for this post I consider a little cheating since you knew the NAS topic while writing your goals ;) ) but they are my real honest to goodness goals.  Key into the faith, family and friends and blogging goals.  And if you want a little more new year goodness just check out my word for 2014.  I hope you will follow my little bloggity here so that you can journey along with me with the Not Alone Series and as I conquer my goals for 2014.

Head on over to Jen's blog to see more goals for 2014!

2014 Goals: Blogging

So at the beginning of this new year I made a list of Goals for 2014 including some goals for my blog.  I said "I want to have more purposeful blogging.  What would I want to read, let me create that here.  I want to make sure what I post here on this bloggity is really reflecting the image that I am and want to be."

So where the heck do I begin?  Obviously (or not so obviously) I began by looking at what I liked about the blogs that as soon as they come on my Bloglovin' feed, I read.  Six blogs came to mind.  So what are my favorite things about my favorite blogs and can I achieve that?

1. Funny.  Hilarious.  Makes you literally laugh out loud (LLOL).  Ok there is only so much I can do  about this.  I try to be funny and sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  
2. Stunning Pictures.  I have a nice DSLR camera and learning how to use it better is totally something I can do and something that I do try to do.  Make this more of a priority.
3. Honest about real life issues. This I can do and do do.  However, I am always aware of making sure that I don't confuse blog and journal.  Can I do anymore?
4. "Relationship"  I really like having a relationship with a fellow blogger.  I can't force people to be my friend but I can always respond to comments in a personal non-generic way.
5. Life.  Some bloggers just have a really interesting life.  God is the author of my life and there is nothing I can do about that.  Besides I don't think I live an uninteresting life.  
6. Franciscan Grad.   As a current Franciscan student I really enjoy reading Franciscan students who have graduated and made a life for themselves after Franciscan.  Being at Franciscan can be a marathon pushing you to grow in ways that as a freshman you feel are impossible.  It is enjoying to read about grads who have run the race and still live life for His kingdom.  

So there you have it.  I really like having a blog and if I am investing time and energy into it I want it to be something that is beautiful and good.  I want it to inspire my readers.  I want it to be something I am proud of.  

(By the way, I am currently drinking a protein shake and struggling to move without winching thanks to Miss Jillian Michaels so nutrition and fitness goals are being worked on too. Yeah!)

2014 Goals

I am not one for New Year's resolutions because for the most part these mean creating high reaching unachievable goals that last for about a week.  However, the end of the year and the beginning of another is a great time to take a look at your life and figure out how you want to be a better person at the end of the year than you are right now.  While I am not one for the typical resolution I am all about developing small goals that actually can happen in the new year.  So I present to you my 2014 goals.

For a side note, I got these topics from a secular vlog and adapted them to my life (i.e. removed "kid" goals and added blog and spiritual goals).  I allowed myself up to 3 subcategories after each of the 8 categories.

1. Faith
a.  The ever present, increase my prayer life.  I highly doubt this goal will go away until the day that I die.
b. This past year I have gotten better about opening my Bible and diving in.  I want that to increase even more this year.
c.  I think this one is the most measurable and important.  With my graduating coming in May and the ease of daily Mass at Franciscan coming to an end I want to make sure I don't lose weekday Masses in my life.  I know they won't be able to be a daily thing but I do want to make sure I do strive to go to a weekday Mass at minimum one day a week.

2. Fitness
a.  Continue running.  Running has been less frequent with the cold snowy weather but I want to make sure it doesn't halt.
b.  Increase the speed of my running.  Since I began, running has just been about being able to run a few miles.  Now I want to make those miles faster.
c.  With that I want to train to run 5k races well not just finish them.

3. Nutrition
a. With a time without a meal plan looming in my future I want to make sure that when I begin being on my own for good I create good habits.
b. With that lack of meal plan I also want to budget the amount of money I spend on food and be smart about it.
c.   This is a constant thing in my life but I am always (sometimes more purposefully than other times)  trying to increase the amount of fruits and vegtables I consume.

4. Friends and Family
a.  Love my family and friends selfishly.  Easy to say, hard to do.
b.  As I graduate and leave the consistent social life I have had for the past 5 years I want to start off my life as a college graduate making new friends.
c. Pray for my family constatnly

5. Financial 
a.  Again with this graduation thing, I want to start managing my own real money starting with good habits that include saving and spending wisely
b. I do not want to have any credit card debt.  Student loans I will have and I think I am ok with car loans but credit card debt will not be acceptable.
c.  I want to pay above minimum payment on my loans.  I know this may not be feasible right away but I want to start working towards that.

6.  Home
a.  As I create a home for myself post graduation, I want less clutter.
b.  With that new place I want to make sure I create a purpseful sacred space which will help with number one point a.

7. Fun
a.  Enjoy the last semester of college, I don't think this will be hard
b.  Travel.  If there is a wedding I wan to be there.  I haven't seen a friend for a while, lets road trip.

8. Blog
a.  This isn't something that can be forced but I want more good friendships through this blog world.  I have already been blessed with the beginning of so many and I want to cultivate those and accept any others I am blessed with.
b.  I want to have more purposeful blogging.  What would I want to read, let me create that here.  I want to make sure what I post here on this bloggity is really reflecting the image that I am and want to be.

So there you have it, my goals for 2014.  Please help hold me accountable to them.  I look forward to reporting back to you with much success this time next year.  I would love to here any goal creating going on over at your blog so please leave links in the comments.