I dubbed 2017 the Year of Caring and thought it worked well, so I decided to continue the theme into 2018!
2018 is my Year of Being.
So.… what does the Year of Being mean?
It means I’d like to do the following things:
Be Happy
I want to do more things that make me happy and less things that don’t make me happy. It sounds simplistic, but still something I want to work on. I’m a fairly happy person by nature so this one might be easier for me than for others. I have several books on happiness queued up to read including The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. If you’ve read something on happiness that’s made an impact on you, share it in the comments below!
Be Healthy
This is a multi-faceted goal. It means doing some things less (like eating processed foods laden with sugar) and doing others more (working out). My current environment is not conducive to doing either. I have started this by only buying healthy food at the store which is a good first step. Do you know how hard it is for me to turn down Christmas candy on sale for 60%??? But I resisted.
As for working out, I try to do body weight exercises as often as I can, but space and time are at a premium. Living in a very small studio means less floor space to be able to do things like pushups, sit ups and all the other ups. I also really can’t join a gym as I will be moving in 12 weeks. Therefore, I’m looking to start the bulk of this goal when I move. I’ve researched the nearby fitness options and was overwhelmed with choices. Ninja warrior gyms, yoga classes, and more. However, I discovered a place that has a pool. And in that pool are Master Swim times. It’s basically a swim team for adults. I swam from ages 8 to 18 and love it. The thing about swimming is it’s lonely and difficult to do yourself. Sure, there are places out there that will cobble together sets together for you, but it’s not the same as having someone else come up with them and supervise your time in the pool to ensure your strokes and such are optimal. It is only a mile or so away so I’ll be able to get additional exercise on the way to and from as I ride my bike.
This goal also encompasses less alcohol and caffeine and better sleeping patterns. I do my best work when I get a solid night of sleep so I will be looking to pin my schedule down to the best times.
Be Kind
I like to think I’m funny, but too often recently I’ve noticed my humor can come at the expense of others. Most of the time it’s in a teasing way, but there have been times where I’ve missed the mark and said something I later regretted. Hence, be kind. I want to support people, and lift them up. I don’t want to put down people or say unkind things. It requires watching what my brain is thinking and cutting it off before the ugly words make it out of my mouth. We’ll see how I do with this one.
Be Thoughtful
This kind of goes along with the previous goal, but it’s different. Too often I do things impulsively so I want to slow down in 2018 and put more deliberate thought into my life. Why am I doing ____? Why did I do ____? Where do I want to go in life? How can I get there? I want to plan a bit for the future so I can be more proactive with things instead of reacting to events.
Be Motivated
I really struggle with this one. I feel like I’m on the ground floor of life, just waiting for things to break and push me to higher ground. But things aren’t just going to happen my way. I need to work on things and improve to move up. Motivation is that thing deep down inside of you that makes you do things you wouldn’t otherwise. Crazy things like buy a rental property, start a blog and podcast, and want to retire early.
Sometimes I wear down and don’t want to do much of anything. It’s unfortunate because life doesn’t stop even when I want to. So in 2018 I will be working on my motivation levels. I want to move from the sloth end to the Elon Musk end of the spectrum.
Be Present
Too often I find myself tuning out and not being present with those in my physical surroundings. I especially want to be present when I’m spending time with loved ones. It’s hard to put the phone down and forget about what’s happening in the digital world, but it is necessary. I owe it to friends and family to not waste their time and focus on our time together. If you see me this year and I’ve got my phone in hand, call me out. I’ll probably need help!!
This wouldn’t be a financial blog if I didn’t include a few finance related goals too! Just in case you were worried.… I gotchu!
Break Even
This will be the first (of hopefully many) year of self employment for me. I’m going to have to hustle to build up a decent revenue stream. I plan on at least breaking even on my balance sheet. I like to spend money so I’m going to need to reign in that side of me and light a fire under my butt to bring in some cold hard cash.
Speaking Gigs
I want to start speaking to various groups and people about personal finances. Therefore, my goal this year is to email 10 different people about speaking opportunities. I already have 2 out there and will be working on a third shortly. Notice how this goal isn’t “Get 10 speaking gigs” because that’s something I don’t have much control over. Instead, I can email at least 10 people and try to get gigs that way. That way my goal isn’t tied to other people.… but just to me.
Get Editing Gigs
I would like to start some freelance work in 2018. I don’t necessarily want to write for people, but I would love to edit things for people. I really enjoy tweaking the writing of other people to make it the best it can be. I have a hard time reading finished works with typos and grammatical errors. Despite the fact I write more casually here on the blog, I do know how to write formal business pieces and consider it one of my strong suits.
So my goal for 2018 is to find and secure 5 long-term editing gigs for various clients. This will require more effort than the speaking gigs, but I have a feeling they’ll be more lucrative in the long run.
Conclusion
Notice how none of my goals are tied to the market or my net worth this year. With the uncertainty around my income and a market hitting routine record highs, I don’t want to set any goals around that. Instead, I set goals around things that are under my direct control.
If you would like to hear more about my goals in my own words and voice, LIVE!, my co-host and I did a special New Year’s Eve episode on Fire Drill Podcast in which we cover our individual goals for 2018 and goals for the podcast. Give it a listen below and if you like what you hear, subscribe to our podcast in your program of choice (iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, etc).
Thanks for reading! What are your goals for the year? What do you think about my goals?
I am currently listening to the book The Future of Happiness by Amy Blankson. It’s about the intersection of happiness and technology. Given your ‘be present’ goal I think you might enjoy it.
Added to the list! Thanks for the suggestion.
I love that your goals are about taking actions and things under your control. Focusing on the actions and not the results will, counter intuitively, bring the results!
Here’s to a great 2018 🙂
I’m all about the results this year! Big things are on the horizon over here 🙂
Good luck with the “being” goals Gwen. I also love editing so let me know if you find a good way to do it. I’ve looked at Fiverr and Upwork etc and the competition is so rampant and fierce that it seems impossible to get a job without offering your services for pennies.
I’ve only looked at UpWork so far but yeah I agree, competition looks fierce. The Universe will provide!
That’s a good book, we’ve both read it and it’s on our shelf. It’s good to keep in mind as you go forward. I’ve read some others, but I’ll have to get back to you on those.
As for working out, just let us know… we have all the Insanity stuff, just let me know we’ll figure out a way to get it to you. It’s great, all body weight and doesn’t take a lot of space.
Present is something that we both need to work on. And we’re getting there, progress.
Anyway, keep it up. This should be a great way to keep track of a fun exciting year.
I wish I was visiting you so I could borrow it! Gah. I have Insanity and some other BB video programs, but the lack of space is an issue for those 🙁
I’m glad to see you’ve set goals for the year. Having motivation, structure, “constructive” routines, and resilience will be especially important over the next several months.
I would add the audiobooks: The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor and The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn to your list. Shawn has a great TED talk that sums up his ideas if you want to Google it.
Good Luck!!!
Thanks for the suggestions Ryan! I’m looking forward to April to begin setting constructive routines in life. My routine right now is not quite so constructive…
You obviously spend too much time in a PF bubble, because you are nowhere near the ground floor of life — you are rocking it! Even just compared to yourself a few years ago 🙂
Haha thanks for the reminder, Angela! I guess you’re right. I’m definitely in the upper echelon for a lot of different stats!
Love it! I am also interested in doing some freelance editing, so I look forward to reading more about that. Also, kudos to you for wanting to do the speaking gigs. I much prefer hiding behind a keyboard and screen. 🙂
I’ll be sure to document the process for everyone. Thanks for commenting, Cody!
Considering the personal finance community is full of a bunch of overachievers, I would definitely say you are being too hard on yourself 😉 But in reality, the only worthwhile measuring stick is the one you hold against yourself. “Better than others” doesn’t do anything for anyone; it just puts others down. In your effort to “Be Kind,” consider extending that kindness to yourself, and make sure you’re giving yourself kudos for your successes.
Great goals for the year!
You know, funnily enough you’re not the first person to suggest that. Must be something to that! I love the quote “The only person you should compare yourself to is the you from yesterday”.
Great goals Gwen! I recommend “Stumbling on Happiness” by Daniel Gilbert. Good stuff there.
I look forward to following your progress and drawing inspiration from your insights. Happy new year to you and yours.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll add it to the list. Happy New Year to you!
Gwen,
Excellent goals for 2018. I really appreciate that none of your goals have to do with the market or net worth. Aside from my goals of maxing out retirement buckets, I have little set goals for the market or net worth as well. I am sure you could have been motivated enought to have made a fine med student!!! I hope you the best in 2018 with writing, speaking, working out and being kind! We could all be more kind!
I love your goals! It’s going to be a good year indeed. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear all about your adventures in the new location plus working for yourself. You get ’em! 🙂
Hey Gwen, It’s pretty easy to get introspective this time in year in the friggin’ ice box of the Twin Cities, no? Sigh. At least we’ve “warmed up” into the 20s the last few days. Just getting out for a run improved my mental state on Sunday.
I checked out The Happiness Project from our library a couple years back and had trouble finishing it. I’m not sure what turned me off since I rarely don’t finish a book I start. At any rate, I did stumble across this very insightful article from the NYT a few days back. Changed a little of my perception on the “happiness” equation:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/upshot/finding-purpose-for-a-good-life-but-also-a-healthy-one.html
Being present! Thats one I’m working on too.
It’s soooo tough when you have a business/hobby that’s online. There’s that extra ‘pull’ to check your views/comments/social media. In addition to not being present it’s also a bit of a time-suck, I probably waste a good 30–60 minutes per day just checking stuff.
Great article Gwen! Do you know what the dates are for the 2018 Chataquas? I’m really interested in going but I haven’t been able to find any info.
The Happiness Project was very tedious and boring for me and in the end I couldn’t even finish it. It was recommended to me by a friend so I guess it helped her. I wasn’t any happier because of it and I am a generally happy person and feel quite in control of my destiny. I’ve been reading you for a while now and wish you success in your adventures.
Hey, Gwen. Here’s one tip that I stumbled upon that made me happier: Just get rid of the things in your life that you know don’t make you happy. For me, one of things that didn’t make me happy was the news. Once I cut the cord and confined my online reading to financial blogs, things started to get very rosy in my life. Yes, I’m a total ignoramus now without the news. But I’m a happy ignoramus. Anyway, love all the components to your Year of Being. Best of luck.
P.S. I love your sense of humor. Whenever we meet, it will be an honor if you mock the crap out of me. Cheers.
I’m actually currently reading the Happiness Project. I’m on September and so far I love it! I plan on writing a post about it, particularly where she speaks on Happiness and Money (July). There are some very actionable items I’ve gleaned from her book so far that I think make a big difference. For example, I’ve started implementing the “if it takes less than 1 minute (or 2, I stretch it a bit) do it now.” It’s helped me just get all of the mental and sometimes physical clutter out of the apartment to keep me more focused as opposed to thinking of all the things I still need to do. Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
Best of luck on your goals and Happy New Year!
A great book on all things health is: “How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy”, by Paul Chek
It encompasses diet, exercise, environmental stressors. Super well rounded and informative read. Very straight forward has great questionnaires to asses your current health and great guides to get you in any shape you want to be in. The book is in it’s 10th year of publishing now and if you look at the stuff he has been writing about, he was/ is way ahead of the curve. I.e. quality food, primal movement, rest, etc. It’d made a profound change in my life… and I don’t have to pay/ go to crossfit anymore (although I miss the camaraderie).
We live in a small house with limited space, so I bought second hand dumbbells, a quality swiss ball, rubber band things you can wedge in a door for pulling exercises. I did splurge on a few kettle bells.
Anyway keep up the good work!
I’m signed up for the edX class “the science of happiness” which just opened up. I think they run it pretty regularly, and it sounds like it might fit with your plan to try taking it: https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:BerkeleyX+GG101x+1T2018/course/
You know I also read another book by this Paul Chek dude I liked. Hope I don’t sound like an infomercial haha!
It’s called the 4 doctors you’ll even need. It’s based on something Hippocrates posited: that we have 3 spheres/ internals doctors that need to be addressed. I.e. Dr. diet, rest, happiness, then the author added movement since we are a mostly sedentary society.
The gist is good food and rest effect our emotional and physical well being (duh!) and that happiness is a balance of finding your values and seeing if you are aligned to them.
Keep on keeping on!
Worthy goals all. There is no doubt in my mind you will succeed wildly, meet and exceed your expectations.
Just found your blog, the whole FIRE concept is interesting. I’ve always been frugal and had side hussle so am on tract to retire relatively early but wish I would have had the vision at your age!
Lots of nice goals here to mimic.If you don’t mind, I am going to adopt your goals as well for the reminder of 2018. Thanks for sharing