A goal without a plan is just a dream

Apart from having a focus for the year, I also firmly believe in setting SMART goals for (almost) every area of my life.

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound

Working on the \”SMART\” formula, you make sure that you don\’t set yourself up for disappointment and it provides you with a very clear path to making that goal a reality. It helps, of course, that I\’ve had training on this, so I should be all set. An accountability partner (which is something I need) was still needed. Blogging about those goals….well, suddenly I have a lot of people who will hold me accountable for it, right? So here goes:

MY GOALS FOR 2023

There are a lot of habits which has been replaced with habits I\’m happy to be rid of, so a lot of my goals are set around changing those habits

• Read, read, read. In the past two years, I haven\’t read a real book. For 2023 I have set out 12 books I want to read. Some of them I have read in the past, and some are brand new, but I intend to read all 12 of them this year. Just by not scrolling through socials at lunchtime, I have a full hour to read every day. Add some reading at night before bed, instead of watching TV, and Bob\’s your uncle! Currently busy with For one more day by Mitch Albom

• I want to read through the entire Bible again this year. App downloaded and already started 🙂

• I want to get back into the habit of writing. I have a love/hate relationship history with writing. When things are good, which they have been for the past couple of years, I don\’t write. When things are bad, which they were for the longest time, I can write up a storm. In short, when I am happy I have writer\’s block. It\’s a weird thing, right? This year I want to complete my manuscript – not quite an autobiography, not quite a self-help book….. the genre must still find itself. Taking part in Bloganuary will hopefully kickstart the juices to get me going again. I\’ll be on the road for the next week, but will still try to make time every day. Road trip….that gets me to the next one

• I want to take a solo trip on my motorbike this year. I don\’t know where, I don\’t know when, I don\’t know how long….I just want to do it at some point in 2023

• I want to get the safehouse up and running. This project has taught me an immense amount of patience, and it\’s something that I\’m looking forward to completing this year

• I want to learn to meditate. Silencing my mind has been my biggest struggle for as long as I can remember. Just want to get this one down.

• Last, but not least, and perhaps it\’s last, because it is the biggest and most daunting of them all: I want to run the Cape Town marathon in October 2023. Back in 2017 – 2019 we did a lot of running, and I mean a lot. Then came Covid….and menopause….and life. The time for excuses is done. We\’ve already started with a couch to 5km plan. I\’ve bought a treadmill for those rainy months. I\’m ready to do it this year. First goal is to do a sub-30 5km, then a sub-60 10km, then a 2:15 21km and then the big one…

So there you have it, the things I want to achieve this year 🙂

What\’s on your \”to achieve\” list this year?