General Musings

Fifteen for 2015 – Setting Goals, Hopes and Dreams

January 1, 2015
Fifteen for '15

After a lot of reflection over the past few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that a lot of things need to change in my life. Some of them internal, some of them external. Some are changes I can personally make, and some are changes that rely on things outside of my control.

With that in mind I wanted to focus on setting achievable goals for the months ahead, goals which are not only quantifiable but also have a real impact on my life in a positive way. And for that, I needed to consider what my hopes and dreams were for this year.

It was at this point that I realised that good planning includes not just your hopes and dreams, but also the general aims you have as well as those very specific goals. It’s like three very different but completely complementary layers which, when considered together, create a positive and affirming outlook in life.

And this led me to this…

Fifteen for '15

I feel like these are all really achievable and give me some real focus for creating a far better balance in my life. My word for 2015 is Surrender, and a large part of this includes surrendering the extremely high expectations I hold for myself. Instead of thinking I need to “do it all” I am setting myself some very specific goals which will make a massive difference in my life.

My five goals will assist me in making the five general aims a reality. For instance, working on the crochet blanket enables me to “create more”. Eating at the table helps us have “more family time”. And keeping a personal journal (as opposed to simply writing on the blog) will enable me to “be more mindful” and also “pray more” as I reflect on things.

And hopefully, these five goals and five aims will in turn impact on my five hopes and dreams. Being more mindful will help me live on purpose. Spending more time with family and embracing community will bring more stability to our lives. And that will all hopefully bring about some better health through having better support and worrying less.

Do you see how I have tried to connect everything together in some way? It’s the first time I have really tried to do this on a personal level and I do so hope it will help… but only time will tell and I am “surrendering” my expectations of this and simply choosing to see how it all pans out!

Have you set any goals for the year? Please do leave your comments below, I would love to read about your hopes and dreams for the year ahead!

 

  • Reply
    Lucinda Turner
    January 2, 2015 at 11:12 pm

    I have a few things I’d like to achieve this year, getting our new home how we’d like it is one of them. Good luck with yours 🙂 #weekendbloghop

    • Reply
      Amanda
      January 4, 2015 at 5:07 pm

      Hi Lucinda,

      thanks for stopping by! Oh good luck with sorting out your new home… we are looking to move this year and I know how much of an upheaval it can be, but so worth it when you finally get there.

  • Reply
    Suzanne
    January 2, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    This is such a good idea. I am good at lists, but they are just ‘to do’ things. This is far more realistic and achievable and will make a real difference to everyday family life. This year is the first where I finally have a direction and have managed to put the past behind me and look to the future. Not sure how it will go, but small steps and exciting plans will help me achieve! I look forward to following your blog and seeing how things go!

    • Reply
      Amanda
      January 4, 2015 at 5:09 pm

      Hi Suzanne,

      thanks for stopping by!

      It’s such a relief when you put the past behind you and start looking to the future isn’t it? And often scary and exciting in equal measure!! Good luck with it all… set yourself small steps as you say and you’ll get to where you want to be!

  • Reply
    Penny Alexander
    January 5, 2015 at 11:12 am

    Oh yes number 3 – that is what this year has to be about for me, and like you the rest is like a to do list with stuff I just need to do, and breaking it down like this really makes it achievable doesn’t it? Good Luck and with the move too 🙂

    • Reply
      Amanda
      January 7, 2015 at 12:40 pm

      That work/life balance is such a hard one to find, isn’t it? But it is so crucial as it impacts on so much else in our lives. Making it achievable is the aim, I think we’re all far too hard on ourselves sometimes, in a society that expects us to achieve so much! Good luck with your aims for the year and thanks for popping by x

  • Reply
    Single Mother Ahoy
    January 7, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Love this; these are all achievable and (hopefully) not the sort of grand ambition that ends up forgotten by the end of January! Thanks for linking up with #WeekendBlogHop!

    • Reply
      Amanda
      January 11, 2015 at 10:20 am

      Thanks for popping by (and thanks for hosting the #WeekendBlogHop… first time I found it and I love it, will be taking part again for sure!

Don't be shy, join in and let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.