We are six months into July, and so it’s a good idea to do a six-month review of your goals to see if you are on track or need to revise any of the goals that you have. This is also a good time to do some soul-searching and let go of some goals that aren’t working for you anymore. You shouldn’t feel like a failure if this is the case because life isn’t a straight line. It’s more like a squiggly line. This means that you will have changes in your life, and some goals don’t fit into it. You can also take this time to come up with a new plan for the goals you are a bit behind on.
I am going to share my progress with you as I have been because it has helped tremendously for me to continue meeting the goals that I have met. For that, I thank you. Please share yours!
Personal Development
In this area, I have been doing good. I read two books a day, but I still watch way too much television. If I turned off the TV, then I probably could do even more. It’s hard because I love watching YouTube videos and binging on Netflix shows like “Dark” and “Strangers Things.” However, I can do better. Another area that I need to improve on is taking at least two courses a month. It has been hard because the MBA classes this year are super hard, so it’s been hard. However, it’s also the amount of television I watch. This would help me be able to take more courses.
In the next six months, I want to take a public speaking course. As an introvert, I hate being center of attention and in crowds. Therefore, I always get super nervous when I have to speak in front of people. Every MBA class has a presentation portion, and the last time, I got so nervous my hands were shaking. I had to tell myself that I know these people, and they are all nice so stop. It helped, but I need to get more comfortable speaking in front of people.
By October, I want to volunteer with the kids. I’m passionate about helping women and children. I especially want to help teenagers so I am going to contact teen shelters in my area to see if there are any volunteering opportunities. In the past, I have considered being a mentor but I am not sure of the time commitment. However, I will not pass up the opportunity.
Health
The cruise is approaching so I have been focused on losing weight and toning up. In my last post, I talked about doing the Cabbage Soup diet. It helped kickstart my weight loss journey. I am working out 3-4 times a week. I am also making sure to stop snacking so much. Additionally, I am being more mindful on drinking water. The older I get, the worse my bladder gets so I have stopped drinking so much water because I drink a drop and I have to go to the restroom three times. It’s frustrating. But, I work from home so I can drink water and rush to the restroom without any worries, so that’s what I am going to do. I have read that when your body gets used to it, you go to the bathroom less and less. We shall see.
I also need to go to the dermatologist for my skin. In a way, I have adopted the Korean Skincare regime and it has helped. However, I have a couple of lines that I want the dermatologist to check out to see if there is anything she recommends to reduce them.
In the Fall, I am going to sign up for a 5K. It’s been a long time since I ran one (almost seven years ago), but I am determined to least do one even if I walk/run.
Financial
I have been reducing my credit card debt, so that is great. I have been aggressively paying them off so I can focus on my student loans. For my mortgage, I got the great news that they were removing the private mortgage insurance a year later, so that means I have back in my pockets almost $200 a month. I will use this to offset the increase in my car insurance since my son has been added to my plan. It went from $65 month to $286. I had heard that teenage boys increase your insurance but I didn’t expect it to be that much!
I am still struggling with the food budget. I am spending way too much money on food. It’s not secret how much I love food, but I still need to reduce how much I spend on groceries and restaurants. When I meal prepped for the Cabbage Soup diet, I saved tons that week. Therefore, I know that I can probably reduce how much I spend if I meal prep.
School
These MBA classes I am taking this year are hard. They have been heavy with mathematical problems so it’s been a bit tough. Everyone is asking what I am going to do when I get my MBA, and I talked to my friend in the program and it’s also happening to her. I will leave thinking about what to do in 2020.
Work
I got the promotion but was disappointed that there was no salary increase to go alongside it. There hasn’t been a change (yet) in my responsibilities so I will see how it goes. I got a bunch of PDUs submitted and approved so that was great. PDUs are needed to maintain my PMP.
This goes alongside the educational courses but I need to get back on learning how to code. I have a PluralSight subscription so I need to start doing a learning path and getting back to learning how to code.
Podcasting
Female Killers Podcast is growing and that is great. I didn’t think I would have that many people on Instagram interested in the podcast, but that has been a social media platform that has seen the most growth. I have also been improving the quality of the podcasts, and that makes me feel great. I am currently using GarageBand, but I want to start learning Audacity just in case my daughter needs the MacBook for schoolwork, and I have to use my work PC laptop.
I want to continue getting more listeners. I am considering adding YouTube videos but I am camera shy so I need to get over my fear if I go that route. However, I wonder if I even need to.
Blogging
I love blogging and connecting with other bloggers. A few months ago, I joined a few Facebook Groups for bloggers. It has been years since I actively use Facebook, and it’s only because of the groups. I have learned so much from them. It is the reason that I started blogging again. I wanted to connect with others and it’s great this is coming true.
I need to be more consistent in posting on my blog. I also want to create more digital products to share with everyone. This is something I plan to do in the upcoming months.
Family
As always, this is the toughest area. Family therapy has helped the three of us become closer and learn how to communicate. We still go every week, and I feel it’s helping. Cebastian is getting ready for his Eagle Scout Board of Review. He is still procrastinating a bit, but I am pushing him. He has started working, and he is more responsible for this job than he was at his last job so that is great. Next week we find out what he got on the SATs. I am hoping that he got the score that he wanted. If he didn’t, then he plans to retake it in November. I am still concerned with his lack of motivation and passion, and I hope that having a job helps him start thinking about what he likes and dislikes about the job. I know having a job as a teenager helped me realized that.
Isabelle is doing much better in online high school than a traditional one. She still needs to focus a bit more on school. She is doing much better and is no longer out-of-control so I am happy because those were hard times. I plan to one day post about that and share our journey because there is not much online on how to handle out-of-control teens who have mental health issues. You see things like “Don’t give up,” but not how to not give up when it gets tough. I hope our experience helps another family dealing with the same. Her individual therapist recommended we look into a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). We did the intake, and they thought she would benefit in one. She is currently going, and I can see that it’s helping her. I hope she finishes it.
We are going on our family trip at the end of summer, and I hope this brings us closer.
What goals do you have for yourself? Please share because it’s always good to have others on the journey with you.
