When there’s only a week left of 2016 and I start to panic thinking of how I wish I could go back to January 1 and start this year all over again. But then I think about how much good came out of this year and how it will only create more good in 2017. The questions constantly in my head lately: What will it bring? What successes will we experience this year, what will we accomplish, what will we try at and fail?

My brother and I were driving in the car yesterday into town (our mom lives an hour away from civilization aka Whole Foods, Starbucks and Walmart) talking about how everyone says how bad of a year 2016 was when, yes bad things happened, but so many good things came out of it too. While I could list off a million good things, just being with my family now in Kansas for the holidays is good enough.

I even recently Instagrammed a photo/quote from one of my favorite writers, Rupi Kaur, that said,

“It has been the year of hurting so bad but living so good.”

I really couldn’t agree more.

As I’ve already summed up what my 2016 was like in this post, and how many good/bad things came from it, I wanted to start thinking forward to what I want to give and get out of the new year.

To me, January is a time to challenge yourself in all aspects of life. Most people look at it as the month to do a week long juice cleanse or hit the gym and drop 20 pounds, but I want to push myself beyond all of that and actually think of real, attainable goals that I want to push myself beyond drinking a green juice.

On Tuesday I had a meeting with a few inspiring athletes and individuals at Nike Chicago’s office space to talk on collaborations for 2017 (pinch me I’m dreaming), who we are and where we want to go in the next 12 months. I figured the best way to really make these goals attainable is to write them down and not just to myself but to anyone reading this.

As I’ll be graduating from undergrad in May and planning for that post-grad life, I told the Nike team my top goal(s) of the year are to either become a yoga instructor and/or Peloton instructor.

I’ve been doing yoga since 2014 on and off, some weeks/months more times than others, some times taking month long breaks, sometimes crying on my mat during savasana thanks to my inspiring teachers and other times sweating to death daydreaming of the moment I could leave.

But altogether, for the past two years, yoga has been an ebb and flow through my life and I’ve been thinking all year long how I want to integrate it into my life as much as possible.

As for Peloton (it’s a style of spin for those who are unfamiliar), I’ve been spinning 3-4x a week since May and simply cannot get enough. If you guys follow me on any form of social media you’ll know how addicted I am to my studio (Studio Three) and to be honest, it’s not about the cardio for me. It’s about the energy, the music, the vibrations everyone in the room gives off and the feeling of “tapping it back” in unison. There is seriously nothing that brings me more joy.

I’ve learned this year through the ups and downs I’ve experienced, yoga and spin have always been available for me to go to and every single time I leave a class, I’m just that much lighter mentally.

While I hope to achieve this starting in the summer or fall, I want to work up to the point where I feel confident enough in myself that I can get it done.

I want to incorporate more yoga into my schedule, despite taking 18 credit hours this semester, feeling stressed and working a part-time job. On top of blogging.

When I feel lazy in the morning like I can’t get up, I want to push myself out the door to spin or to a hot flow.

But beyond these fitness goals… there are other big and exciting things that can, will and NEED to happen.

I want to travel more, more and MORE.
I’ll be going to LA in March for Expo West (pinch me again, this time I might be dreaming), like I’ve previously mentioned, but beyond that, I hope to maybe go to DC, or Boston, or New York again. Something. Anything.

I want to explore. To meet more bloggers. Branch out of my comfort (introverted) zone and experience people and places around me.

If there’s anything I learned in 2016 is that you can’t wait for moments, people and things to come to you. Sometimes you need to put in that extra effort, try a little harder, and go out of your way to meet someone new.

I want to expand my blog.
2016 I kind of slacked on my blog, I won’t lie. I spent more time on other forms of social media and whenever I had a “free” moment or morning, I’d waste it in bed rather than putting energy to what I love most… creating content and sharing it with my friends, family and followers.

This year was when I took my blog from strictly food more into the wellness-sphere, incorporating my love for yoga, mindfulness, exercise, etc into my posts.

I hope to only grow that further in 2017.

On top of that, I want to register as an LLC (so official, so scary), partner with more brands and be more consistent on the partnerships, create and maintain an editorial calendar (shocker I’m sure to most bloggers I don’t even have one and do everything on a whim) and hopefully work with my best friend to REDESIGN THIS BABY.

#Goals

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I want to eat more wholesome, varied food and focus on balance.
While yes, I eat healthy. It’s not always balanced. In 2016, I experienced a lot of emotional stress which in turn translated into over-eating and not caring about my body to the fullest. After dealing with an eating disorder since I was 17, it’s always been a rollercoaster trying to find that level of balance of not over doing or under doing anything.

In 2017, I want to get back to balance, realize what’s good for me and how I don’t need to go over the top when it comes to breakfasts, lunch, or dinner. Just because someone posts a bar of chocolate covered in almond butter with 10 scoops of dairy-free ice cream on top, doesn’t mean you need to do it either.

I want to realize the foods I over consume (like hummus) don’t need to be purchased every day. Like for real… I may be the “Chickpea in The City” but I think 2017 is the year I take it down a notch on the hummus consumption. #inallseriousness

 

I want to go to more concerts, events and neighborhoods in Chicago.
Explore more restaurants. Take more photos. Eat more tacos.

Go home to Cleveland.

Save my money and go on a yoga retreat.
For the last two years, since I even began practicing yoga, I’ve DREAMT about doing a yoga retreat with no social media interaction whatsoever.

Continue working at Simple Mills and grow with the brand.

Actually try this semester as it will be my last. Put in that extra effort and make my last 4 months in school the best.

Focus on self-care more than I have in the past.
Instead of wasting all of my money on coffee and Whole Foods hot bar, actually put my money into things that will make me feel better overall.

And lastly…

Do a social media detox for a weekend (at least).
We all could use one but when you’re a blogger who works in social media… you’re constantly glued to your computer and phone. It can become not only overwhelming but extremely draining.

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And while I’m sure there are more goals I will want to meet within 2017, these are the ones that are at the top of my list.

Some might work, some might not but the most important thing I think I’ve learned through 2016 that I’m going to carry with me through the next year is to try my best and if you want something bad enough and try your best, it sure as hell can happen. All you can give at the end of the day is effort and if you put in effort, you’ll always be one step closer to reaching your goal(s).

So here’s to a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! What are YOUR goals for the New Year?!