New Year’s resolutions are tricky – on the one hand it is a good jumping off point if you want to make some changes. On the other hand they carry the stigma of not being taken seriously or at the worst: impossible to achieve!

So what’s a person to do when they are serious about wanting to make some self improvements?

I think the first thing to do is to evaluate yourself. Me being a perfectionist has led me to quit before I even try many things. Also if I give myself unmeasurable goals, I tend to give up as well. I also need someone to check in with me or at worst check on me if I’m sliding away from my goals. Also as a wife and a mom of a 3 year old and a 6 month old, all to frequently I put my wants on the bottom of the list.

Here’s my recipe to what I hope will be my successful “2019 New Year’s Resolutions”

1. Have Measurable Goals

Because a year is a long time and waiting 365 days to rule my road to self improvement as a success or not will for me make me give up, I am dividing the year up into quarters. I’ve given myself 3 categories for the whole year: “Self-Improvement” “Beautiful Home” and “Creative Pleasure.” Then I’ve come up with a few goals for each category. In Quarter 1 (Jan – March) I’ve looked at what I want to accomplish in 3 months. Those are written under Quarter 1 in the 3 categories. Then I’m breaking those goals into weekly goals.

2. Be Accountable

Being held accountable is key for me personally. The trick is finding someone who won’t be to easy on you but also won’t make you throw in the towel either because they’ve made you feel 2 inches tall. Luckily, I’ve got a great partner in Tonni Williams! We actually are each other’s accountability partners and have been for just over a year officially and probably 8 years unofficially. I find I get a lot more done when I can touch base with someone else – share the successes and explain the pitfalls. She also provides me with help to troubleshoot when I’ve backed myself in a corner. The other part of me being accountable this year is the blog! I’m going to use this blog to dialog about what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully it will provide you with some laughs, some tricks, and help for you too.

3. Be Gracious to myself

Life is crazy and typically super busy for me, so for me to expect perfect on many goals will make me quit or go off the deep end. Therefore rule #3 is to be gracious to myself. Each week will be a new week for me to achieve my goals and celebrate the success I do achieve. I also will work on remembering that some weeks I may be more successful in one category than another.

4. My goals are a priority!

Finally I need to remember that my goals are a priority for me and my family. For so many people we put our wants at the bottom of the to-do list, and as a mom I definitely give in to this. But as I tried to explain to my boys the other day – a well rested and fed mommy is a much nicer mommy then the tired and hungry mommy! So while my goals may not be the number one priority ever moment of every day, they need to make it there more often.

I’ll check in weekly to see how my goals are going and will go over what they are with you more in future posts. Looking forward to a wonderful 2019!