The Why, The Goal, and the Plan

"Start with why." - Simon Sinek

The Why: Why the Year of Here?

REAL TALK! I'm tired of chasing and never feeling like it's enough. I don't make enough, have enough, travel enough, do enough, know enough, lift enough... ENOUGH! Angelica is my favorite character in Hamilton, likely because I relate to Never being Satisfied. I'm letting that go. I am enough, I have enough, life is good. This year I will learn to believe that.

I want to feel content and happy right here with what I have right now. More is not more. More is exhausting. That's my why. I want to be grateful instead of greedy, happy instead of hustling, here instead of headed somewhere else. That's a HUGE struggle for me and that's why I'm doing this.

The Goal

Goal #1: Health: Workout 5 days a week and cook 5 days a week using what I have. Gain muscle and enjoy cooking healthy meals. BE HEALTHY HERE.

Goal #2: Wealth: Save money, spend less than $3k/mo, and live well below our means. BE WEALTHY HERE.

Goal #3: Wanderlust: Accumulate 50k points/miles per month with regular spending + save $500/mo for travel. TRAVEL WITH WHAT I HAVE HERE.

Goal #4: Happiness: Use what I have so I stop needing MORE. BE HAPPY HERE.

The Plan

This blog will keep me accountable and organized. It'll help me keep the vision CLEAR and the progress tangible. It'll help me live day to day and week to week with reflection built in and goal setting, too. It'll help me be present on my journey to be present.

Here's the focus topics I'll be covering in this blog each week:

1. Health: Meals & Muscle

I'm a personal trainer so people think I naturally love to work out and eat healthy food... people are wrong. Working out is a decision I still have to make every time and I really hate cooking... so that's a huge battle. I will post about my 5 workouts a week, my weekly lunches and dinners I've cooked (I do a protein shake for breakfast), and other pertinent details to the week like sugar, water, and meditation. Workouts and cooking healthy food are priority #1 and 2.

2. Wealth: Save more, Spend Less

I have been in a constant battle for the past few years about earning more vs spending less. I've chased earning more for years... it's time to start spending less: specifically on groceries and unnecessary shopping (Amazon, Costco, and Walmart mostly). I could go work full time, but I'd rather try to learn that my part time income and my husband's full time income are more than what we need. This year, I'll focus on spending less and saving more, not making more.

3. Wanderlust: Miles & Memories

I ALWAYS want to travel more, always have. I am so frequently envious of the trips I see others take, so my goal with this one is to travel the way that's right for ME and MY family and be happy with that. My meter for measuring that? It's gotta be under $500 cash. Everything else must be paid with points. I will see the world with my family, but I will NOT let the fact that I haven't yet rob me of any more joy.

4. Happiness

I'm going to be honest about my choices, actions, and experiences each week and how it affects my overall happiness. My units of measurement will be a daily scale of 1-10 on how satisfied I feel along with a weekly reflection on my highs and lows. For years, I've had really high highs and really low lows with lots of confusion in between. Several of my life coach friends have told me to try to find the middle balance, so I will be tracking that here as well.

The Rules

Here's the rules I'm setting for the next 12 months:

Rule #1: No spending on workout equipment, courses, plans, kitchen gadgets, or organization tools.

Rule #2: Spending budget $1000 or less per month on groceries and shopping (for 6 people). This includes household items and cleaning supplies. $2000 for all other expenses (includes eating out).

Rule #3: One trip per month to Costco or Sam's Club.

Rule #4: No shopping unless something wears out and needs to be replaced. The old item must be thrown out when being replaced.

Rule #5: Can eat out twice a week maximum.

Rule #6: No actively looking for ways to make more money. I'm here to learn how to use the finances we have better, not change them.

Rule #7: No home improvement projects.

Rule #8: No buying large items (vehicles/etc).

Rule #9: $500/mo saved for travel - which includes food, activities, tickets, etc. and any flights or hotels that aren't covered by points for all 6 of us.

Rule #10: Must blog once a week about all 4 parts. HONESTY IS THE KEY HERE.

Here's how my monthly summary will look:

1. Days worked out ___ Goal: 20

2. Healthy Meals cooked ____ Goal: 42

3. Percent of budget spent/saved _____ Goal: 90/10

4. Money + points saved for travel ____ Goal: $500 + 50k points

5. Overall Happiness _____ Goal: 8+

There it is. The method I'll use to gauge my progress each month. Weekly blogs will be written about experiences, these monthly numbers will just help keep things measurable.

I'll put these blogs on my social media, too, so feel free to follow along there as well.

Thanks for joining me! Feel free to message and comment along the way. I'm excited to see where this journey takes me and nervous, too. But I guess that's how I know it's the right challenge for me.