Tag: Goal Digger

My New Word of The Year and 2021 Goals

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I know what you’re thinking (maybe). “Why is she telling us her word of the year and her goals for 2021? It’s already nearly the middle of February.” You’re not wrong with those observations buuuut I think it’s so important for me to share my word of the year and goals with my blog. My Instagram peeps had a chance to know this information and you all didn’t and I don’t think that’s fair. Also, sharing these on my blog gives me another way to hold myself accountable and document my year. I plan on doing quarterly check-ins on my blog like I used to, and if you all never know the orginal goals, how can I check-in on them on the blog? I can’t! So that’s why this post just had to be posted, okay? Besides, that my word of the year has changed…I haven’t told Instagram yet so this is a themusingsofmara.com exclusive!

My word of the year this year was Discipline like it was the year before. However, a month into 2021 this word just doesn’t fit what I need for this year. Don’t get me wrong…I DO need discipline this year and ALL years, but that word just isn’t speaking to me anymore. I realized I didn’t even put it on my vision board (accidentally but that says something). I’ve decided to change my word of the year to EXECUTE. This year, I need to stop putting all my energy into planning things that I never execute. The only way I can thrive as a creator and person in general is to just do the damn thing. I can plan as many blog posts as I want but if I don’t type anything on wordpress, what good does that do. I can meal plan all I want but if I don’t meal prep, track my food, and focus on nutrition what good does that do? I need to EXECUTE. That’s why I changed my word of the year and I’m so happy I did!

My 2021 Goals need me to execute. I’m going to share a few of the goals I have and so you all my vision board for this year.

  • Eat more nutritious food.
  • Do more things that make my happy.
  • Workout 6x a week, Lift Weights 4x a week.
  • Find my post-grad job.
  • Pass the BAR EXAM.
  • Get my driver’s license and a car.
  • Monetize my blog.
  • Do more yoga.
  • Be consistent on my blog, Instagram, and my podcast.
  • Get 10K Instagram followers.
  • Go to the Beach.

These are my main goals for this year. If I can even do ½ of these, I feel that I will have a great 2021! I will update you all in at the end of March and let you know how much progress I’ve made on these goals by then. I will also do that at the end of the other quarters of the year. I’m excited to see what all I’m able to accomplish this year. P.S. I may or may not have done one of these things already. You’ll find out soon!

What are some of your 2021 goals? Let me know in the comments! I miss chatting with you all.

An Easy Guide For Your Mid-Year Check-In & Goal Setting Session

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As of yesterday we are officially HALF-WAY through 2020. I’m sure we can all agree the past 6 months has been f*cking WILD. I’m not going to get into it because quite frankly I’m tired of it and don’t feel like discussing it but y’all know what I’m talking about. I feel like 2020 has lasted a lifetime and still passed in a blink of an eye at the same time. Okay so I lied, I’m going to talk about it. Covid-19 has shifted stuff significantly. Speaking for myself, I have not accomplished as much as I wanted by now in certain areas of my life, but I have accomplished many things in other areas of my life. It’s important to look at both our wins and where we may have fallen short so far (although, extend yourself grace…we are literally in a global pandemic).

The best way to do this? A Mid-Year Goal Check-In! I know, it might sound daunting but honestly, I did it a few days ago and it made me feel really proud of all I’ve been able to do and hopeful for other things I want to do before the year is over. In this post I will be sharing the essential steps to complete your mid-year check in and important questions you need to ask yourself.

Look at the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year

The first step is the most necessary. You can’t see how much progress you’ve made on achieving your goals if you don’t see what you set out to do. Be very mindful to not judge yourself during this step. It’s okay if you didn’t achieve all of your goals, that’s why we’re doing this check-in! Some of this stuff may not even resonate with you anymore (which is also okay). The point is, you have to look at them.

Track your wins from your list of goals

Did you accomplish some thing(s) on the list? Wooohoo! Write them down and cross them off (or put a check next to them, depending on your style) and sit with those wins for a minute or so. Clap for yourself because you did that and you should be proud at your ability to keep promises to yourself.

Track other wins that maybe you didn’t set out to do, but did anyways

I had many wins this year that I necessarily didn’t some in to the year thinking about doing or plan for but I’m still happy about them nonetheless. You need to recognize these as well because more than likely you worked towards them (even if they weren’t on your list) and it’s important to recognize all of your wins. Maybe between the last step and this step you realize you never celebrated any of your wins and kept quiet about them. Change that! Celebrating and expressing gratitude for your wins puts you in the mindset of achieving more wins.

Take inventory of what’s left

What is no longer realistic to accomplish in a 6-month timeframe? Change your deadlines on those. Make them smaller tasks so that you can at least work towards the overall goal this year. I’m not encouraging a limiting beliefs but some things just aren’t realistic. For example, if one of your goals was to lose 80lbs you could probably do it but not in a safe way. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and compromise your wellbeing for a deadline.

Re-do your list

What is realistic to accomplish? What steps can you take to make sure you meet this goal by the end of the year? These two questions are important to put the rest of the year into perspective and still accomplish some of your goals or new goals that may be important to you now that we are halfway through the year. Make your list super cute and put it somewhere you can see it every day to motivate you.

*Bonus: Make a “before the year ends” Vision Board

This one is completely optional but I love a good vision board. Sometimes I like making new vision boards in the middle of the year if I’ve accomplished most of the other one OR I just have different things I want to visualize before the year the ends. It’s also completely okay to have more than one vision board. Vision Boards are just fun and I’m probably going to make a new one at some point in July.

It’s okay if you haven’t made as much progress on your goals as you would have liked. You can’t be too hard on yourself, especially this year. We are all trying to get through a global pandemic and keep our sanity (which is enough of a challenge of itself). Extend yourself some grace and do what you need to do. I’m someone who feels better when I have lists and things to work towards so goal-setting helps me keep sane.

Share this article with your favorite go-getter and leave a comment with what steps you are taking to complete your mid-year goal check-in.

 

 

 

How I Chose My Word of the Year for 2019

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We are almost a week into the NEW Year and it has been interesting already! While the practice of making New Year’s Resolutions is common, that doesn’t mean that it is the most effective method of achieving your New Year’s goals. I personally haven’t really been in the practice of making New Year’s Resolutions for the last two years. When I have made New Year’s resolutions in the past, it often discourages me from trying at all if I don’t move towards them quickly enough. In the last few years I have chose a word of the year that guides all of actions towards reaching the goals I hope to accomplish in the New Year.

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My word for last year was DISCIPLINE. I chose the word Discipline because that is what was lacking from my reaching some of my goals in 2017, especially in regards to weight loss. I hired a trainer, I meal prepped more, I went to the gym more often, even when I didn’t feel like going. I also was more disciplined in putting out content for my blog (before my Nana passed away, and I started law school). After a few a set-backs, I stopped really embracing the word discipline because I was really just trying to…get over the sadness from different things that happened earlier in the year. I realized that at times I was disciplined but at other times I wasn’t. That led to me choosing my word for 2019.

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My word for 2019 is CONSISTENCY. This is what was lacking from my life last year in many areas from health + fitness to blogging to even studying for school. Similar to the reason I chose the word discipline last year, I need to consistently do things (even when I’d rather not) in order to reach the goals I’ve set out for this year. The times I did manage to remained disciplined, I lost a decent amount of weight, I got into law school, and I posted some quality content. (Read my favorite posts from last year HERE). By being consistent this year, I know I will be better off when the countdown for 2020 happens.

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This doesn’t have to be the way you choose your word. What’s important is that YOUR WORD is chosen by YOU after reflecting on your principles, values, and goals for this year. Once you do this you can take out the sense of overwhelm with long lists and just ask yourself “does this action align with my guiding word for this year or bring me closer to my goals?” If it doesn’t, you know you might need to make a better decision. It won’t be easy at first, but it might be easier for you than keeping a laundry list of resolutions.

So get out there, reflect, and choose your guiding word for 2018!

Did you have a word or two in mind when you read this? Leave your word(s) in the comments and tell me why you chose it!

Goal Check: End of the 3nd Quarter of the Year (July-Sept)

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September ended last weekend and thus the 3rd quarter of the year came to an end.  Wow, this year is flying by. This will probably be the check-in that I have accomplished the least buuut for the sake of transparency I will still be talking about the progress I’ve made towards my goals over the last 3 months. I’m hoping this will give me the reality check I need to accomplish some goals before the year is over!

 

Save $2,000 in a savings account

I actually am on track to have $1,000 in my savings account by the end of this year. While it’s not the $2,000 that I originally set out for this year, it’s still better than $0. I may save more than that if possible but I’ll have to see. I also recently paid off my credit card debt which is the reason the $2,000 savings goal may not be on the horizon.

 

Lose fat & gain muscle:

My health and fitness journey has taken quite the turn this quarter. I gained back 3 or so pounds since my Quarter 2 check-in. Most of my weight gain was in August due to adjusting to school and lack of preparation in regards to food. I also slacked on my gym hustle so gaining back a few pounds wasn’t surprising. I’m making some changes for the last 3 months to shake up my weight loss journey and hopefully hit one of my milestone goals by the end of Quarter 4. I made an appointment to see a dietician at my school and I’m the process of looking for a new trainer to push me to the next level. I’m positive I will have some great updates in regards to weight loss come December!

 

Take my blog to the next level:

Here’s a secret: I’ve already written and scheduled the next few weeks of content for my blog and this will finally start the catalyst of taking my blog to the next level. Planning ahead has made everything so much easier. I’m still working on engagement on Instagram but I have some ideas brewing away that I think will help me with that. Keep your eyes peeled for what’s to come!

 

Read one new book every month:

I read two new books this quarter. The first one was during my vacation in the DR, I read “We’re Going To Need More Wine” by Gabrielle Union and I can’t recommend this book enough! I really loved the way Gabrielle Union writes and tells stories about her personal life. It was honest, intimate, and one of the best books I have read this year. The second book I read was “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. I’ll be reviewing this on my blog at some point in time in the future. That being said, I doubt I will have any time to read for pleasure until winter break due to being in school. It was fun while it lasted. *cries*

 

Get my driver’s license and a car:

I definitely still haven’t made any significant progress on either of these things. To be honest, I will probably have to wait until after my law school finals to have the time and energy to take either the written exam or driving test. My weeks are focused on reading for school so I doubt I’ll be able to accomplish this until late December.

 

As I mentioned earlier, this has probably been my worse quarter in regards to some of my goals, especially my fitness ones. However, I know that most things aren’t linear and sometimes we go downhill a bit before we can climb back up and do what we set out to do. I’m going to focus on killing it in law school, saving up some money, and beasting at my fitness goals for the last quarter of the year and I encourage all of you to work towards you goals as well this last 3 months of 2018!

 

What’s an area of your life you’re looking to improve before 2019? What’s one final quarter 4 goal that you have? Leave me a comment and let’s talk about it!

Goal Check: End of the First Quarter of the Year (Jan-Mar)

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The month of March just ended which means that we are 1/4 through 2018. Wow. Time is a flying by! Due to us being 3 months into the year, I decided to check-in on where I’m at with my goals. Now is the perfect time to reflect on what has worked this year and what hasn’t. There are 9 months left in the year which is more than enough time to learn from my errors and still accomplish my goals before the year is over. I have many, many different goals that have sprouted from 8 main ones so I’m going to just tap into some of those 8.

  1. Get my driver’s license and a car: i have not made any substantial progress on this goal besides looking at cars. This is first on this list but the list is in no particular order. This first 3 months I’ve been focusing on getting my health and fitness in order, applying to law school, and paying off my credit card. That brings me to my next goal.
  2. Pay off my credit card debit: So far I have paid a little over $600 into my credit card debt, which is about where I wanted to be by this time of the year. However, my goals regarding this have changed. I’m now more focused on saving money to go out of the country this summer. I will still be making payments on my credit card but not as aggressively as I was.
  3. Save $2,000 in a savings account: It has been hard to establish a savings account so far this year. I’ve noticed I’m really bad at it haha. I have a small amount. I also need to open another savings account because anything I have in this one is going towards my trip this Summer!
  4. Start Law School: This goal is happening! I was admitted into UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law at the beginning of last month. I will officially be going back to school in August which is why I’m taking a trip out of the country this summer.
  5. Lose fat & gain muscle: I’m making great progress on this goal. I hired a trainer in January. Even though he quit and I got a new trainer I had to get used to after taking a 2 week hiatus from the gym, I’ve still managed to lose about 15ish lbs. I can also feel myself getting stronger in every part of my body. I’m excited to see where I will be in the next 3 months from now!
  6. Take my blog to the next level: I like to believe I’m taking steps towards taking my blog to the next level. I created a bi-weekly newsletter (still working on sending out my first e-mail), I hosted my first GIVEAWAY (of many to come), and I’ve started posting more regularly, and I’ve upped my social media engagement. Hopefully in 3 months I will have really made some solid progress.
  7. Read one book every month: I’ve been slacking in regards to reading one book a month. I tried to read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in January but I underestimated how dense and long that book was and I decided to read a little bit of it each month throughout the year. It also took me all of February and a little over half of March to finish The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I highly recommend this book. I wanted to at least finish 2 books by the end of March so I picked an easy ready for the last week of the month. I chose The Defining Decade. I have really enjoyed this book and will be reviewing in a post later this month. 
  8. Move out: so as I have officially gotten into school and given a full tuition scholarship, this has become the least important of my goals. I have to keep a 2.3 (which sounds easy but I’ve never been to law school so I wouldn’t know) GPA to keep my scholarship. My cousin has moved out of my room and this has made living at home much more bearable. I’m in the process of redecorating my room and giving it the personality I wanted it to have when I first moved back home. The only thing that makes me really want to still consider moving out is having company over when they come to town and visit. If I have any updates on this goal they will definitely be towards the end of the year.

All in all, I’ve very pleased with the progress I’ve made on achieving my goals this first few months of the year. I do have some areas that could use improvement (getting my license/car and staying on top of reading for fun). However, I have also had some major wins (YAY for getting into law school and getting a full tuition scholarship). I can’t wait to write this post at the end of the second quarter of the year and see how far I’ve come and what else I’ve done. I might have some different goals listed to reflect the changes in priorities I’ve had since getting into law school but the post will be similar in format. Here’s to working towards our goals all year long!

What are some goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? What goals have you made progress on? What goals could use improvement? Leave me a comment and let’s talk about it!