2010 was a crazy, busy, and exciting year! I still cannot believe that it is almost over.
One of my favourite things about having a blog is the ability to look back in time and assess my progress. I tend to have a bad memory for these things and a blog helps me pretend like I have my life in order. I was never an organized person until I started my blog in 2008!
Tonight, I’m going to take a moment to review the 10 goals I set for myself last December. If you are curious, here are the goals I set for myself in 2009 and the recap of how I did is here.
Goals for 2010:
1) Work at the local Farmer’s market this spring/summer selling bakery goods- goal accomplished
Eric and I worked at an organic farmer’s market for a couple months this summer. It was a crazy, busy time!
2) Retail Glo Bars– goal accomplished
I sold Glo Bars at a health food store for the better part of the year.
3) Run my 3rd half marathon (May 30, 2010) and set a new PR (sub 1 hour 56 mins.)- goal accomplished
I beat my half marathon PR by 1 minute and 20 seconds, finishing in 1 hour 55 mins and 10 seconds. For the recap, see this post.
4) Write a book- not accomplished
I will be talking about this in my goals for 2011!
5) Furnish our bedroom and decorate- goal accomplished
Our bedroom was a plain bachelor pad…with old university furniture at the beginning of 2010…
It wept, my friends.
Then, I did a surprise Ikea redecorate for Eric in February 2010 which was an improvement at a low cost.
Then, Eric did a surprise redecorate for me in September 2010 painting and installing hardwood throughout the bedroom and hallway.
The surprise continued into December if you catch my drift…lol.
We finally got rid of this old carpet!!
Here is what our room looks like as of today, after installing hardwood, painting, and purchasing our very first set of bedroom furniture:
We splurged on our first ever King sized bed. It is GLORIOUS! No more fighting a 6’2” male for space.
We still have lots left to do, including wall art and installing a new closet organizer, but we are happy with how it is coming along. I will be sure to post after pictures when it is complete!
6) TRAVEL goal accomplished
In 2010, I traveled to Florida, Chicago, Paris, and Calgary. It was a welcomed change after not traveling at all in 2009.
7) Attend a Blog Conference goal accomplished
I attended the Healthy Living Summit in August!
8.) Save MONEY goal somewhat accomplished
I saved money in 2010, but I did not track exactly how much I saved. We also stuck to our cutbacks (we have had no cable TV for 2 years now, no pricey text/data cellphone plan, etc). We also recently sold Eric’s car and we are a one car family now. Despite the positive changes, I need to be more specific in 2011 and set a precise goal of how much I want to save!
9) Get new packaging for Glo Bars and purchase UPC codes for Glo Bars not accomplished
This was not in the budget for 2010.
10) Raise money for those in need! goal accomplished
I donated over $500 on behalf of Glo Bakery to charities such as NEDIC and also raised over $2,100 in Shop 4 A Cause for Cancer Research. The total amount we have raised for Cancer is now $6,525. Thanks everyone!
Of course, there were a few things in 2010 that I did not anticipate when I set my goals back in December 2009…
1) Eric and I trained for and participated in our first beginner’s triathlon! (Part 1 and Part 2)
2) I ran my second 10k race in Sept 2010, finishing with a chip time of 49 mins and 50 seconds. I beat my PR by 7 minutes! This was a real turning point for me because it showed me just how much I could improve when fueling my body with a healthy diet and being kind to myself.
4) I pushed my limits as a blogger from September until December and made it to the final round in the Project Food Blog competition.
5) Eric and I produced our first ‘professional’ recipe video. It was pobably the most challenging task of the entire year!
Often, the exciting things in life are the things we do not plan for or anticipate.
I think a successful goal list is one that is made up of a couple ‘very difficult’ or ‘unlikely’ items (such as my goal of writing a book, which would have been very difficult in 2010 with my busy schedule), items that are attainable with hard work (the half marathon, fundraising, and farmer’s market), and then a couple fun items (such as travel).
I like to create my goal list so that it has 1 or 2 ‘not accomplished’ goals leftover at the end of the year. That way, I know that my list was neither too easy nor too hard. Expect my 2011 goal list to have a couple ‘out there’ or ‘unlikely’ items on it too!
Coming up…my goals for 2011. I will be asking you what yours are too, so get those wheels turning.
Did you accomplish or experience anything in 2010 that was not originally on your radar and hit you by surprise?
I love that your unaccomplished goals are a sign that your list wasn’t too easy. I tend to shy away from challenging myself due to my fear of failure. Thanks for the great perspective!
I make goals throughout the year, but I don’t make new year’s resolutions. I don’t like the conformity of it, lol.
I’m a fairly new subscriber to your blog and just wanted to pop in to say thanks for the update on your resolutions! I set “Life Resolutions” every year and it’s always inspiring to see others accomplish their goals — especially when you have some of the same ones as me!
I never thought to sell my baked goods at a farmers market — what a great idea! Also a fab way to cross-promote my baking cookbook for beginners (Life Resolution #2 this year!) — although I highly doubt it’ll be published by summer! :)
What a FANtastic recap!!!
I LOVE your bed frame!!! My husband and I just purchased a king sized bed and we are in the market for a bed frame–> Do you mind if I ask where you purchased yours from? That looks EXACTLY like what we are looking for!
Thanks and LOVE reading your blog!!