(Giving my talk on "setting goals" at Branches and Light)

February Goals

Read 15 in 12: Read Daring Greatly 
Read The Monk and the Merchant
Host a fancy Valentine's Dinner Party (with a really fun theme!)
Wake up at 6am Sundays - Thursdays
Practice Guitar 4 out of 7 days/week. (My first lesson was awesome!)
Run an official Half Marathon
Photograph a styled shoot in film only
Clean out my closet and give lots away to those who need it more than I do
Shop at Trader Joes and join a co-op

I must say, I hit the ground running as soon as 2013 arrived. My excitement for this year and my goals have really propelled me forward, and I am excited to say I made serious progress in January:

- I had my first guitar lesson
- I bought a roadbike and lots of geeky gear to go with it
- I signed up for an official half marathon (!)
- I sent out invitations to a dinner party
- I completed the Whole30 (insert really proud, happy dance here!)
- We decided on our Anniversary trip destination & budget
- I successfully hosted the Branches and Light workshop with Caroline. What a day!
- I got even more fired up about my own goals while teaching a session on goal-setting at Branches and Light. Nothing makes you own something more than when you teach it to others.

Keep in mind that Wedding Season is around the corner, so I do have to jump on a few of these goals early to establish habits before the craziness hits! At a yearly glance, my life looks like this:

January through March:
- Intense business reset: taxes, backing up images, cleaning out computer, equipment send off, goal setting, growth, and wedding season prep.
- Intense personal life resent: dreaming, goal-setting, re-assessing what did and didn't work last year, reading a ton, tackling as many goals as possible and enjoying life while I still have free weekends to myself.

April through November:
- Work diligently. Spend my weekends photographing weddings and serving at church. Spend my weekdays shooting sessions, teaching FPU, helping Will lead the youth group. Do my best to maintain work-life balance to honor the Lord. Insert throughout: Summer Camp, Family Dinners, Missions trip, Visits to Nashville, Lock-in, Anniversary Trip.

December:
- Spend time with family. Recover. Catch up on edits. Love and serve my brides until Christmas break.

With that in mind, I am full of anticipation, ready to tackle February with vigor! I only have a few precious months each year where I can reset my life and business. I am super intentional about that this year. Not only am I going to work hard to reset this month, but I am going to enjoy every minute. I will spend time with Will. I will spend time with family. I will rest and prepare. I will live a life of gratitude and generosity. I will listen to the voice of the Lord; I will not block it with my schedule or busyness.

I will do what matters and forget the rest. February, we're going to be great friends!