New Year New Goals

2024 has been off to an amazing start! First off, Raphael and I got to celebrate the first day of the New Year at the happiest place on Earth, Disney Land! It was just the sweetest time together, a great Christmas present from my brother in law (Thanks Christian)!

While dreaming about 2024, we have some major goals we want to hit both as a couple and as individuals. Today I’m going to be writing about the 5 goals I have for 2024 and hopefully you can use these goals to help inspire you to create your own.

Goal #1 – Reading Goals

If you saw my most recent video (YES I have a youtube channel. Yes it’s new.) or heard it on the podcast, one of my biggest goals for 2024 is to read 18-20 books this year. I’m keeping the goal flexible so 18 would be the minimum and 20 would be crazy! Here are my top 5 favorite reads of last year:

1. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
2. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
5. Beach Read and Happy Place by Emily Henry

Okay, so I chose 6 but there were SO many books that I loved this year. I enjoy “visiting” a fictional place and stepping into the lives of other characters, learning about their lives and understanding their problems. Reading helps me view the world around me and also validates why I live my life the way I do. I also have several girl friends who also love to read and we swap books and share what we’ve been reading weekly, so that’s really fun as well. I hope I can hit my reading goal this year!

Goal #2 – Daily Movement and Skin Care

One of my favorite activities to do is Lagree, or pilates. It’s low impact but difficult and for those who haven’t tried it yet, you need to! It is such an ab burner, and overall whole body workout. I definitely recommend SeaFit or Trim for Lagree. I also love pilates in general and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed going to Couer Pilates in Huntington (one of the most beautiful studios I’ve seen!) and Be Fit in Long Beach or Newport. All of these studios are nice and fun to go to! I think the lagree method can be more difficult than general pilates because the whole point is to go as slow as possible. I’ve also learned it depends on the instructor as well so if you find one you like, stay with it. During covid I was able to snag a Microformer – a small version of a Megaformer machine that you might see in places like SeaFit. I’m excited to use it much more this year and commit to this form of exercise. My overall goal is to get in daily movement 2-3x a week. So far I’ve had a rocky start, but I’m back on track and I’m all about a good reset.

I’m also super excited about skin care this year. There have been a lot of different skin care trends coming out from ice rolling, guasha, and light therapy, to a good face steam. I plan on trying a handful of these myself and testing out new skin care routines! I really want to find something that works for my face and also talk about the journey as well.

Goal #3 – Saving Money

Another goal I am committed to this year is saving money for long term purchases. There are a few items on my wishlist that I hope to be able to buy this year but it will take consistent saving on my end! I’m excited for the journey because I know that instead of putting purchases on a credit card, I will be able to enjoy what I buy because I worked hard for it and won’t owe anything to anyone. I also want to save for the future as well – building up our emergency fund for our family, and organizing our budget to create security and future wealth. I’m trying to change my mindset when it comes to saving and investing money. I want to buy things that last (rather than buying tons of smaller or cheaper items) and I also want to save for the future.

Goal #4 – Routines and Healthy Habits

I want to create routines that set me up for success, peace, and overall well being. For example, Saturdays are filled with laundry, dinner and lunch prep, a fun night out, and workouts in the morning or practice (coaching). Sundays are reset days filled with church, bible study, Disneyland, grocery store runs, calendaring, and budgeting. Monday – Friday we prioritize work during the day, and communication, connection, and slowness in the evening.

In addition to general routines I want to make sure I create a specific routine to read my Bible. Sometimes I read a devotional, but I want to get better at reading the bible and taking notes and praying over scripture. The goal is to read a little bit everyday by creating a routine. Monday-Friday, I’m going to read a little bit after dinner. Saturday and Sunday I want to read in the morning. I’m hoping by setting the schedule ahead of time and leaving my Bible and journal out on the table, I will be more apt to pick it up and read consistently.

Goal #5 – Resets and Check ins

I want 2024 to be a year of growth. In order for that to happen I want to make sure that I give myself time to reset. I don’t expect to be perfect all year round, in fact, I expect there to be slumps and mistakes made. Resetting and checking in with myself on my goals, hopes, and dreams will help me stay and get back on track. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, make an adjustment, or totally redirect the plan.

I hope this blog inspires you to get excited for this year! Even if you are starting your resolutions in February, it is never too late to reset and start fresh.

Verse of the year: Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men