After the last “heavy” Daily Life.. it’s time to talk about some of the awesome things finally unfolding in my life, some 2017 goals, and how to tackle them more successfully than last year.

A few days after New Years, I filled up a piece of paper with all of the things I would like to accomplish in 2017 in no particular order. I circled 5 of them and wrote out a brief game plan on how I was going to make those goals happen in the next month. Some of these might be common goals for you too, so I hope that this helps motivate and inspire you to accomplishing yours as well!

First up was horseback riding. I know it sounds completely random, but I actually used to take lessons back when I was a kid. Of course I stopped at age 13 when I became too “punk-rock” for it all and thought smoking cigarettes and skipping school was a far “cooler” hobby. I missed it all the time and after spending a day at a stable while working a gig in Oregon, I realized it was time to quite literally get back in the saddle! This was an easy one to accomplish as all I had to do was research a few stables, find one nearby, call and set up my first lesson. My favorite boots are caked with mud and dust and my thighs and bum have never been more sore! Haha really.. this might be the best butt workout I’ve ever done!

While this may not be on a lot of people’s list, taking time for YOURSELF might be and that’s exactly what I’m doing. At least once a week commit to making time for yourself, a passion, or discovering that passion. You’ll be happier, more relaxed, and confident knowing you’re doing something just for YOU!

My next goal was to start working out and doing yoga on a daily basis again. This seemed like a daunting one at first, but after I started horseback riding I realized I needed some strong legs and lots of stretching so that I’m able to walk the next day! I’m motivated to work out more knowing that it benefits me in accomplishing my other goal. Finding ways to sync up goals like this will increase your success rate in accomplishing them, so look for those benefits any way you can! I don’t commit to a specific amount of time or reps, I just do what feels good for my body and this type of no-pressure approach works well for me. Others do better with a strict routine, so if you need that structure, commit yourself to 15 minutes every day, working up to lengthier workouts.

Another big one I circled that might be on your goal list too: Become debt-free! This is actually a goal I accomplished at the beginning of 2016, but of course a job change, divorce, cross-country move, another job change, and another move put me right back into debt! I had little savings and relied on my credit cards and help from family to float me through, putting me $3,475 in debt. In just a few months I’ve already paid half of that off and estimate that by the end of February I’ll not only be debt-free but ALSO have $1,000 saved.

I had to first get organized, swallow my pride and say, “I need help,” and make some big changes to get my finances back on track. I use the app Debts Break to keep track of my debts (credit cards, student loans, etc.), estimate payoff dates, and it even shows me just how much money is going to principal and interest. It’s a huge motivator to plug the numbers in and realize you can save hundreds of dollars that otherwise would have just gone to interest. I also use the app Pennies to create budgets for things like gas, groceries, and extra spending money to keep me mindful of my spending habits and how much I have left. I make coffee at home, take my lunch to work almost every day, and try not to spend money on myself for things I can do at home, e.g., dye my own hair, do my own nails, workout, etc. I’m no expert so I can only offer up what works for me, but I recommend listening to podcasts, reading books, or finding information online from debt-free pros like Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard to keep you on track!

I’ll share more of the goals I’m working on currently as well as progress on the ones mentioned above with you all in the next Daily Life or perhaps a separate feature altogether if you found this post helpful.

What do you hope to accomplish this year? What steps have you already taken to make those goals happen? I’d love to chat with you more so leave your comments below!