2015 Goals in Review

Last January, I shared my goals for 2015. Overall, it was a productive and intentional year! Some things could have been improved, such as a more consistent workout routine, but considering how busy 2015 panned out to be (I got engaged, married, and moved 2,000 miles away all within 6 months), I am not going to be too hard on myself. 2015 was a great year . . . it was my FAVORITE year by far. 

[I posted about some of my favorite 2015 memories HERE and HERE]

Before I share my 2016 goals this week, I wanted for review last year's goals and my progress. Some goals were crossed off with considerable ease, while others took more determination and will-power. And others, well, they were just a bit too challenging or time-consuming to accomplish in 2015, so you'll see some of them be recycled in 2016 goals.  

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|| SPIRITUAL ||

• Listen to more podcasts. > A Beautiful Design by Matt Chandler in early 2015 and a few episodes of Tsh Oxenreider's The Simple Show in December

• Use the 5P model (purpose, perspective, patience, process, prayer) of Bible study presented in Women of the Word (by Jen Wilkin) to go deeper in the Bible this year. > I studied Philippians, Habakkuk, and 1 Corinthians 13 using the 5P method this year.

• Memorize and meditate on one verse a month (I don't want to just memorize it. I want to study it and dwell on it throughout the month so it gets rooted in my mind and heart)  > Not monthly, but I have been memorizing & meditating on more verses this year than the last.

• Pray before reading the Bible, inviting the Holy Spirit to mold my heart and thoughts towards Scripture for teaching, correction, reproof, training (2 Timothy 3:16)> Still working on this, but it its starting to become more of a good habit to pray before, during, and after my Bible study.

• Focusing on Selah : pausing, reflecting, resting, praising, and praying. I tend to rush through prayer and Bible study, so I want to slow down and experience selah. > Yes! I have done this in several different ways, including doing a word study on Selah, taking "sacred pauses" during the day to reflect on Psalms and pray, and journaling things I am thankful for!

|| PHYSICAL ||

• Return to a more consistent workout schedule/routine mixed with aerobic (running, elliptical, biking) and anaerobic exercise (weight-lifting). > Yes and no. I started off great in 2015, but then was consistent on and off throughout the rest of the year

• Run a 5K and 10K  > I ran my first 5K in February!

• Sleep: Turn off electronics by 10:30pm on work-nights and get in bed by 10:45pm >  I totally failed this one. I was a night owl this year, and my sleep (and energy) suffered.

• Nutrition  > Overall, my nutrition was pretty good. I tried a lot of new recipes in 2015, but I could have done a better job during busy seasons with avoiding trigger foods like starches and potatoes. 
• Try Food Elimination Diet again to evaluate if I have any more food sensitivities 
• Try two new healthy recipes per month
• Decrease eating out and increase overall healthy eating

          
|| EMOTIONAL ||

• Continue to regularly open up to trusted friends and community, being honest and open to encouragement, correction, and teaching.
• Take one month off all social media sometime this year
• Decrease Facebook and Instagram
• Restart Emotion Diary, where I journal my mood and things that worked and did not work each day, so I can see trends and triggers for anxiety, worrying, feeling overwhelmed
• Study what it practically means to "take your thoughts captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) and then start practicing it.
• Practice being more mindful of my current season, whether that means my season in dating (an amazing, handsome man, I might add!), my current job, etc. I tend to look forward to future seasons and want to rush through current ones, but I want to be content and joyful in each season I walk through this year. 

      I didn't do so great with nurturing my emotional health this year, but overall it was a year when I worked in communicating my feelings and being vulnerable and honest within trusted community of close women and Greg. I do, however, still feel I need to work on the social media goals for next year!


|| SOCIAL ||

• Meet atleast once every other month with the teenage girl that I mentor through our church's Big/Little Sister mentorship ministry. > We met maybe twice this year, which is too bad because I really enjoyed our time together, but we were both so swamped this year!

• Meet with several trusted women who are in various stages of married life and ask them specific questions and then find a way to thank them for making time to meet with me. > Yes, and I was so blessed with their honesty, advice, and encouragement!

• Stay in contact with close friends through coffee dates, FaceTime, email, snail-mail, etc. 
• Write monthly letters to my Compassion child

|| INTELLECTUAL ||

• Read atleast 15 books this year with a mixture of theology, biographies/memoirs, historical fiction, and classics (check out my GoodReads 2015 bookshelf) > I read ___________ books this year! [Check out my favorites here]

• Grow in knowledge about overall health, pathophysiology, and pharmacology related to pediatric and adolescent healthcare to better serve my patients.
• Attend conferences on related topics
• Study and research on my own on topics I want to gain knowledge.

|| FINANCIAL/STEWARDSHIP ||

• Continue to use Mint monthly to budget, tract spending trends, and to make a habit of being more cognizant of what I am doing with my finances. > I did this monthly until the end of the summer, then got super busy and stopped.

• Read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and implement atleast 2 things. > Started "snowballing" my smallest debt, had garage sales and sold things on Facebook for extra cash.

• Continue paying off my large grad school loan, one month at a time > I made a bigger dent this year than the past several years!

• Prayerfully decide how to give more (financially as well as with my time spent serving others)

|| ORGANIZATION ||

• Clean out my closet of shoes and clothing I do not wear anymore, then donate and/or sell. 
• Organize and clean my desk area in my apartment 
• Clean up my files on my computer so it will hopefully help with the overall speed.
• Clean up photos, text, music on my iPhone so that it will work better and increase overall memory.

|| BLOGGING ||

• Continue existing series that I have taken a break from, including Praising Through Pain, Cooking With Elle, and  All Of Nature Declares. 
• Collaborate with other bloggers on guest posts, link-ups, or other creative ways to get more involved in the blogging community.
• New blog design

         I loved blogging this year! Lots of new series and link-ups helped me connect to bloggers.

|| FUN NEW EXPERIENCES & CHALLENGES ||

• Plan a balcony garden and keep it alive for atleast 2 months
• Try 5 new restaurants in Portland (OR)/Vancouver (Wa). > Gracie's, Via Delizia, Thai Bloom!, The Grant House, and a sushi place my sisters love 

• Hike 3 new places (last year was Angel's Rest in the Columbia Gorge) > Hiking in Hawaii and Yellowstone, hiked Forest Park in Portland

• Do atleast 2 things that scare me (and live to blog about it)  > sang karaoke and went on the scariest rides at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio with Greg

• Do random acts of kindness for friends and strangers
• Take a painting class

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Goodbye, 2015! You were a year full of busyness, but also a year full of so much JOY!