My 2021 Mantra of The Year + Goals

Welcome to 2021 my friends! Is it just me, or did you too wake up with a renewed sense of hope for the future and better days ahead? I feel hopeful at the optimism a new year can bring and can't wait to get started on some new goals.

I've really struggled with goal setting the last few years. I set really high goals for myself, and often achieve them, but they never change me in the way I hope they will. I keep thinking that if I check certain boxes that I'll have a better self-confidence, self-worth, that I'll feel more worthy of being a human being for doing certain things... and it's just not the case. In 2020 I've learned that no amount of athletic pursuit, work, or education will ever fill this need that I have to find value and worth from the outside world. 

In 2021 my hope is to do more things for my own personal happiness and development, and to stop chasing this ideal life that I think other people want me to have. So over the next 12 months I hope to work on several things to better myself, for no other reason than they bring me personal happiness, no strings attached. 

Go Skiing at Least 10 Times: 

We live within 45 minutes of at least three different ski resorts (Snowbasin, Nordic Valley, and Powder Mountain). Right after Christmas Derek and I went skiing for the first time in 10 years and I loved it so much. I want to take advantage of these mountains that are right at our fingertips, and hope to get Kyle into lessons and skiing this year too. We also got skis for Kinlsey and need to figure out the best and safest way to get her on the mountain as well. 

Practice The Piano Three Times a Week: 

We got a free piano from some friends when we moved this summer, and Kyle started taking lessons last month. I learned to play a little bit when we lived in Georgia and have been working through Kyle's lesson sheets along with him each week. I would like to learn to play a recital worthy piece by the end of the year that uses both hands and the pedal. 

Build An Accessible Wheelchair Ramp to Our Front Door:

We bought this house because it was basically one of the only houses available that checked most of the accessibility needs we had for Kinsley. That being said we have about 2-3 steps to get into the front of the house, and to go out to the backyard. Kinsley is getting to the point where it's hard for me to lift her, and I need Derek to carry her out to the car for me most mornings for school. Our hope is to get a concrete ramp poured this spring so that she can use her walker or wheelchair to get to the car on her own. She can get into the car without being lifted with minimal support, so a ramp will make this entire process about 95% hands off from me. 

One of Kinsley's classmate's parents owns a landscaping company and gave us a pretty good quote to get this done, we're hoping to use our stimulus check to make it a reality. Here is a little inspiration pic of what we're going for. 

Finish Furnishing the Main Living Area of Our House:

With the Christmas decorations gone, it's very clear that we have nothing in the upstairs of our house. We're hoping to give a little refresh to our kitchen with new cabinet doors and a coat of paint, a new light above the dining room table, some barstools, and maybe a new backsplash in the kitchen. This will do a lot to fill in the gaps we currently have. We also need to figure out a new TV stand situation because the one we have is too small for the space. 

Produce Three Blog Posts Per Week:

The last few years I've really struggled to figure out where I wanted this blog to go, and what the purpose was behind what I wanted to be doing. This last year I realized that food will always be a go-to over here, and that I love sharing seasonally focused content (book lists, holiday crafts/projects, monthly coloring pages, etc...) I want this space to be a go-to for family friendly related content. My plan is to share one recipe a week on Mondays, one seasonally related post on Wednesdays, and a family journal type post on Fridays. 

This feels really manageable for me and like something I can keep up on. There will certainly be posts that vary from that outline depending on brands I work with that might need something posted on a Tuesday or Thursday, or if I have a post I want to write about pets or finances that may vary from the previously mentioned topics, but the overall focus of what I want to be doing is there, and I have a lot of fun content already planned for January that I'm excited about! 

My 2021 Mantra:

A few weeks ago when I was on my treadmill I had this phrase, "fill in the cracks" come to my mind and I loved it so much. In February of 2019 my life slowly started unraveling at the seams and it didn't really stop until about the fall of that year. Without going into too much detail I'd basically found out that everything I believed about my life up until that point was based off of lies, I completed 57 college credits in a year for a degree in a field that I can't necessarily say I fully respect all the ideologies behind, and my faith had been shaken more than we were from the Utah earthquake of 2020. 

My hope in 2021 is that I can "fill in the cracks" and start to meaningfully piece my life back together. Sure what I once thought to be true about my life will never be that reality again but I can move forward to restore and improve relationships and make those more meaningful and stronger than they've been the last 20 years. 

I can find joy and satisfaction through my work blogging, and doing marketing for a local small business, and be satisfied knowing I'm doing things that fill me with joy and passion. Are they things I thought I'd be doing after graduating? No. Can I sleep better at night knowing that they align with core values? Absolutely yes. 

And most importantly, I need to fill in the cracks of my faith. I don't think I need to say more than that right now, as it all feels super personal, but I know how much more I could be doing, and the gap between where I am and where I wish I was is vast. Here's to finding more answers than questions in 2021.

What are some things you're working on in 2021? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below. 

If you liked this post, My 2021 Mantra of the Year + Goals, you might also like:

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