With the new year here I wanted to take the opportunity to write out some goals for 2024 so that I can measure progress throughout the year and see where I end up come December. 2023 was an exciting year with a combination of highs and lows, but I'm looking forward to making meaningful progress in multiple areas of my life and in our home.
Spiritual Goals for 2024:
Go Back to India: I went to India on a mission trip with my church last February and I'm excited to go back again in March of this year. India has really stolen my heart and it's something that I hope to be able to share with my family one of these years as well.
Continue Handwriting the Bible: I started handwriting the bible in March of 2023. I just barely finished Deuteronomy before Christmas, and am hoping to stick with writing one chapter a day this year. This should put me somewhere in Psalms come December.
Take 3 Grad School Classes: I started a master's degree in Bible Studies this last year. I've been chipping away at the classes at my own pace and am hoping to get three classes done in 2024. I can take up to 5 classes per year, but if I get three done, that will feel really great to me.
Improve My Prayer Life: I am awful about remembering to pray each day and it's more of a spontaneous part of my life. I want to make a better commitment to prayer each day in 2024. Last year I started blocking off an hour on my calendar twice a month to pray and that's a practice I hope to continue this year as well.
Running Goals for 2024:
Run My Third Marathon: Over the summer some friends were talking about running a marathon in January and at the time I really needed something to help pull me out of a major funk that I was in. I started running with them in October and we're full steam ahead for running the Sun Marathon in Santa Clara come the end of January. Training has been going really well and I'm excited to hopefully feel strong the entire 26.2 miles, and make fun memories with friends.
Pace my friend for her Ultra Marathon: One of my friends that I'm running the marathon with in January is running a 100 mile race in March. I just got my pacing assignment this week and I'll be pacing 17.35 miles of her race with her. This will be my first trail race event, and I'm excited to get a small taste of the ultra marathon world through this pacing effort.
Take a Break From Running: I've been very open about my mental health and struggles with an eating disorder. Last summer I had a pretty significant relapse that I clawed my way out of with the lure of another marathon and wanting to be healthy enough to run that.
For years I've told myself that my running was more helpful than hurtful and that it wasn't a part of my ED but rather saved me from my ED. I'm starting to realize more and more though that running is more of a crutch for recovery, and I need to figure out what recovery looks like with running off the table.
My plan is to complete my pacing job in March and then cut it off cold turkey. I'll be doing a lot of lead up work with my dietitian and therapist until then so that I feel like I have the right supports in place when March comes.
Other Random Goals:
Finish Home Accessibility Projects: We're in the process of making our house handicap accessible for our daughter who is a wheelchair user. We need to finish building new stairs in the garage and get her wheelchair lift installed. We also need to figure out the best way to make her bathroom accessible for her.
Launch New Products/Income Streams: Last year I really caught my stride with affiliate marketing on my blog and combining that with SEO. It was really fun to see that start to pay off. I want to continue that in 2024. I also want to launch some new products in my Etsy shop. I have some that are done that I'm kind of nervous to launch, so waiting for the right time to put what I've been working on out into the world.
I'd love to hear what you're working on this year in the comments below!
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