Ah, 2018. You have brought so many new gifts, obstacles, and grace-giving opportunities. I began the year with big goals, but no plan to achieve those goals. I began the year with my business as Ali Rae Haney Photography. I began the year without a daughter. I began the year in North Carolina. 2018 was a year of transition, ushering in a new season of life. With those changes, I want to instill some consistency and focus in order to develop the major regions of my life into a well-maintained and balanced one.

Enter: Lara Casey’s PowerSheets. PowerSheets allow you to take big goals and break them into smaller, more attainable and tangible goals, in order to achieve them. If you’re a color coder, a dream weaver, a go-getter (I mean, or even if you’re not, but want to be), then PowerSheets are for you. I am jumping in with both feet this year, after having a false start last year. I allowed excuses to cloud my productivity, however, with an infant and a full-time creative business, I no longer have the options to give excuses.

I am listing out my 2019 goals so that you all can hold me accountable. Perhaps some of these will inspire you all to grab some PowerSheets and get serious about achieving some of those goals that you always say you will “get around to eventually.” I don’t say this to be mean or negative…I say this because I am that person. I constantly tell myself that it’s “not the best time,” I’m “too busy,” or I can “do that after I…blah, blah, blah.” And quite frankly, I am tired of it. It’s never going to be the best time. I am not too busy; I just don’t make the time. And if I continue to put things off until after “blah, blah, blah,” it will never get done.

So please. Read these goals, and hold me accountable.

 

Goal 1: Ali Rae Haney Productions, LLC

This past year was a great year for ARHP, but we also faced some obstacles as well. While I am proud of what we have accomplished in our first full year of business, I am also navigating becoming a mother and moving to a different state just as business began taking off in North Carolina. With that being said, I have some very specific goals in reference to social media, marketing, and each of my clients’ experiences to accomplish in 2018.

–       Stay consistent on all social media platforms (Instagram posts, Instagram stories, Facebook, blogging, Pinterest).

–       Complete KJ Business Journey course and apply techniques learned to ARHP.

–       Establish a clear and consistent workflow/routine.

–       Rebrand (colors, typography, website, client experience).

 

Goal 2: Caleb

As many of you know, Caleb was deployed for the first half of 2018. Once he got home, we had 10 weeks before Huxley’s due date, during which we had a move for the military from North Carolina to Virginia. Huxley arrived and since then we have been adjusting to what our new normal is. While it was actually easier than I anticipated (said no new mom ever, right?), I want to make sure I continue to put my relationship with Caleb as a priority.

We have revisited “The Five Love Languages” book, so I can try to cater to his love languages in 2019. Something we discovered is that sometimes it is difficult to determine your own love language with the tests in the book. According to the book, Caleb’s love languages are quality time and physical touch. But we have found through simply paying attention to how certain actions/words in our everyday lives, that his number one love language is acts of service. The mornings I wake up to make his lunch for him to help his day get off to a smooth start are his best days. A simple act can fill his “love tank,” and make us an overall happier couple.

–       Make Caleb lunch each morning (even if that’s just packing leftovers).

–       Have a monthly date night.

–       Continue our weekly recaps. Ask me if you want to know what this is and how it has improved our communication and why we started it!

–       Cross items off his Quantico bucket list.

–       Less screen time in the evenings to truly connect and listen to one another.

 

Goal 3: Huxley Rae Haney

This will be our first full year as parents, and we are so excited to be intentional about the childhood we give our daughter. I love traditions because they create memories for her to pass down to her own children. I also love documenting milestones, as well as everyday life. There is beauty in those simple moments and I never want to forget the love I feel for her at every stage of life.

–       Document her monthly and sometimes daily.

–       Read to her daily.

–       Go on walks 2-3x/week.

–       Create traditions to celebrate each annual season of her life.

–       Make a memory box for Hux and keep it organized.

– Have everyone write her a letter on her first birthday for her to open on her 18th birthday.

 

Goal 4: Consistency & Clutter

Throughout our move this year, I realized how much shhhtuff we have. And we moved all this shhhtuff to Virginia with us. It feels…cluttered…and suffocating. So this year, we will de-clutter a different room each month to hopefully purge all the superfluous items that do not add value to our lives.

Since having Huxley, I have also realized the value of time. I sometimes only have a few minutes a day to get daily chores done. I crave routine and consistency, down to simple things like having one designated spot for all the mail.

–       Wash dinner dishes every night before I go to bed.

–       Do all laundry on Sundays (wash, dry, fold, and put away).

–       Designate one spot for mail.

–       De-clutter one room per month.

–       Plan 20 different meals and write bi-weekly grocery shopping.

 

Goal 5: Finances

This goal is probably the most personal and vulnerable goal I have this year. We are attempting to develop a budget so that we can be free of credit card debt by the end of the year. Being intentional with our money is not something we have done since we got married. We are preparing for Caleb to get out of the military in a few years and growing our family, so we are trying to ensure a smooth transition and plan for the future. I know some people are huge fans of Dave Ramsey…I have not read any of his books, but see Goal 7!

–       Create monthly budget.

–       Pay off all credit card debt.

–       Pay off Caleb’s life starter loan.

–       Buy $50 gift cards each month to save up for Christmas spending.

–       Save for Ireland 2020 trip.

–       Look into hiring a financial planner/accountant.

 

Goal 6: Self Care

“You can’t draw water from an empty well.” -Emily Ley

My pregnancy gave me an excuse to stop running. Caleb’s deployment gave me an excuse to stop pursuing hobbies (running a household alone is tough, even without kids). I love running and I love reading, but did not do much of either in 2018. That will change for 2019.

I aim to read 24 books this year (two per month), as well as training for a half marathon (and maybe even a full, depending on how the half’s training goes). If you all know of any good books (business-related, finance-related, fiction, autobiographical, you name it!), please leave your suggestions in the comment section. Also, anyone know of any good half marathons I should sign up for?

–       Read two books per month.

–       Create and stick to a training plan for half marathon.

–       Take a daily vitamin.

–       Drink 64oz. of water everyday.

 

Goal 7: Friendships

In the military lifestyle, you often cultivate quick, deep relationships. I am no exception to that rule. One of my best friends is no longer just five minutes down the road; she is now five hours away. We were blessed enough to have two other families that we lived near and are close to in North Carolina move with us to Quantico. Now we are also near our hometown and I have a best friend now within two hours of our home. A few other friends recently moved to California with the Marine Corps. Needless to say, as quickly as those relationships develop, they can also change. That doesn’t mean they have to end though. I want to be intentional about loving those that are in my life, despite any distance that is between us, even if that means just sending them a birthday card on their birthday (because who doesn’t like to get snail mail that’s not a bill?!).

–       Send a snail mail card on birthdays.

–       Keep lists of items that are each person’s favorites for small, thoughtful gifts throughout the year.

–       Continuously and consistently respond to text messages, rather than reading and not responding.

–       Check in with long distance friends once a month.

Thank you for reading my goals, and thank you in advance for holding me accountable. Text me and ask me which two books I read this month and see if I text you back. 😉

If you have any questions about PowerSheets or my goals, please leave your question in the comments or contact me through my Contact form on my website. I am looking forward to keeping you all informed about my goals I have set this year. Check back at the end of the month to see the update on how January went!

xo,

Ali Rae