2018 vision journalling

2018 was the best year ever.

Some of the big things I had to do to make it such an awesome year were to STOP spending so much time on social media, START concretely planning my time and activities, and CONTINUE being kind to my imperfect, human self.

I got healthier than I've ever been. I found a way to enjoy my exercise and even look forward to it, so I was much more consistent with it! I exercised at least three times each week. I also decided it was finally time to eat healthier foods, so I ate mostly fruits and veggies and other whole foods, and I severely limited my sugar intake because I wanted to be really kind to my body. I still ate grains and treats occasionally, but wayyyyyyy less often than in 2017. I even had better a1C's because I tested my blood more often and paid more acute attention.

Being healthier enabled me to have a fit pregnancy! I didn't gain as much weight as I did with Ada, and I didn't have as heavy of a baby, either! I also didn't have to leave my baby in the NICU for 16 days because my healthier pregnancy helped my baby be ready to go after arrival!

I'm also incredibly proud of the way my business is growing! I figured out how to do the marketing end of things, I got a great website and Facebook business page up and running, and I did the work to bring in clients. Now the clients come in pretty steadily, and I work with four new clients each week! I absolutely love the work I do. I also love that I can do my work in only 15-20 hours/week.

I also got real good with money. Russ and I have always been pretty good with money, but there's one area that we've always struggled with: food! I could never get a good meal plan going, so we ate out a ton and always went over our food budget for the month. However, this year I really buckled down, made plans, and stuck to them, and it felt good! :)

Of course one of the most valuable things I did this year was to spend quality time with Russ and Ada (and baby #2)! I really cut down on the time I spend on social media to open up more hours in my days. I used the time to play with my ever-growing girl; I got on the ground with her, and we laughed and pretended together. I also started teaching her about animals, shapes, colors, and bodies. I treasure all the time I got to spend one-on-one with her. I also used that time to have good conversations and work on projects with Russ. We also made dating a real priority, even while doing our very best to have cheap or free dates. Our relationship has such an added level of sweetness after this year :)

I also spent time with extended family members. We got together with members of my family and members of Russ's family at least once each month. I continued my weekly scrapbooking dates with my mom, and added in monthly lunches with my dad. We Skyped/FaceTimed/called a faraway family most Sundays of the year.

Having girlfriends is super important to me, so I made time for girlfriends, too. I continued to have two different monthly movie nights, I tried to get together for playdates with someone weekly, and I made an effort to attend anything I was invited to. I also went on a girls getaway for a long weekend! We left our babies with our husbands and had a grand old time living the free life for a few days!

Most of my recreational time is reserved for people I love, but I also made time for activities I love. I read books, watched some TV, listened to tons of podcasts, crafted, and completed many photo books. I even started to dive into the world of gardening.

It was also important to me to spend time on my mental hygiene. Rather than just consuming all of the amazing information I hear on my favorite podcasts, I started doing more actual work: thought downloads, CTFAR models, and really just paying attention to my emotions. I'm obviously not perfect, but I do feel like I have definitely become the next version of myself and up-leveled my life!

The most important relationship I have strengthened this year is my relationship with God. I made more concerted efforts to pray daily and really talk with the Lord. I also studied His words a lot more this year -- whether that meant reading scriptures for 30 quiet minutes before the house woke up, or fitting in 5 minutes of audio scriptures or conference talks during drives or other tasks. I wasn't perfect, but my effort levels were exponentially greater than in years past.

It's not hard to see why 2018 was such a stellar year.

*****

No, those aren't typos. I meant to write this post this way. I've heard about journalling from the point of view of your future self and using the past tense as though you've already accomplished your goals, and in planning 2018, I decided this was the perfect time to try it. I enjoyed it, and I'll be posting this same recap at the end of 2018, edited to add or delete information to make it accurate. But for the most part, it will be accurate ;)

Also, just fyi, I am NOT yet pregnant, nor yet even trying to get pregnant, but it is in my plans for the year.