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?
loved this post! great job:)
You are awesome! Look at everything you have accomplished, almost everything on your list :)
Haha, you MUST be specific when writing your goals down to the dollar amount, the day it needs to be accomplished by, etc. This stays in your head and makes you work to get exactly as laid out!
I accomplished almost all of my goals. I work for myself and am starting the business of my dreams :) Love it!
Keep up the great work!
xxoo
I agree, esp when it comes to ‘saving money’ !!!
It all depends what you mean by “saving money”. My husband and I noticed we were frittering away a good bit of cash on day-to-day/trivial items, or just through lack of planning. We changed a couple of spending habits, and we’ve saved about $300-400/month, starting in October. But we weren’t interested in putting money in the bank, just in cutting out useless spending.
I’ve found that for putting money away, it is useful to think of it, as “paying yourself” — which is essentially what saving is! All you have to do is develop a method of payment (piggy bank, direct deposit, buying stock, etc.). My husband and I manage money very differently (although we share the same principles and goals), so we are always trying new things, and learning from one another!
I love your thoughts on this!
Nothing really caught me by surprise in 2010, but thinking back on how much I’ve actually accomplished is crazy! I ran my 1st half marathon, wrote a thesis, graduated from university, turned down an offer to go to law school (very tough decision), got married, and travelled throughout the Mediterranean. It’s been an incredible year! :)
Next up for 2011: run a marathon, move across the country (again), and get ready to start an after-degree in nursing.
Congrats on doing such a great job in 2010, Angela! You’re truly are an inspiration.
congrats! :) That sounds like 2008 for me…I did all of those things except the law school offer haha
You have had a seriously awesome year Angela!! It’s been fun to see how much your blog has grown in the last year. It’s certainly one of the best healthy living blogs out there these days! :)
Congrats on your accomplishments! It is always amazing to me how much simply writing goals down helps to accomplish them.
Great job on the bedroom re-design – it looks SO much different!
these were really great goals and your really stayed on track this year! congrats!
Amazing, wonderful goals and accomplishments :) My major goal for 2010 was to recover from my eating disorder, which I did and I am now celebrating over a year symptom free thanks to the wonderful treatment program I attended for 8 months and sheer determination to be well. My other goal was to stress less about school when I went back after a year hiatus in the fall, and I achieved that with an added benefit- when I wasn’t so in my head I managed to pull off amazing grades! Just goes to show that stress is not de facto necessary in achieving success when one is doing what they love.
Congratulations!
congrats on your recovery!!
Very inspiring!
.. and your cat is absolutely stunningly gorgeous.
Great job Angela!
I have the EXACT same bedroom set! We bought it when we got married in 2005 and LOVE it! Beautiful–glad you are enjoying it.
Congrats on a great year!
Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve replied to any of your blogs. I’ve been one busy pup too but I do have to say I try to read your blogs daily if not, I wait till the weekend and then I play catchup. I still enjoy reading your stuff because it gives me motivation and inspiration to do the things I love. Thanks Angela! I also need to put in another order for Glo Bars soon.
As for goals, I absolutely love how you list out your goals with “out there and unlikely” items and also when you’ve actually gotten to the end of a year you add in the ones that weren’t accomplished. It gives us a perspective on what is actually doable and what is more than likely not.
I’ve got my wheels a turnin’ for my upcoming goals in 2011 and am looking forward to this year. As for 2010, I actually had one main goal and that was to focus on my running. I joined a running group in June, here in the states called the Jeff Galloway group, I’m sure you’ve heard of Jeff Galloway and his run/walk method. This group taught me to run without injury and to handle running in a group as I was a loner before. My original goal was to run another half marathon with this training and see how I did but the unexpected happened when I ended up signing up for a full marathon and then an even more unexpected occurred and I did 2 marathons within a 4 week span….eeek! So there you have it!
Thanks for blogging!
Just about everything I accomplished in 2010 was by chance.
1. I changed jobs (and have been through a lot of good/bad with the job I have now) — but accomplished a long-term goal of earning a particular income level, so that, in part was planned.
2. We bought a house (thank you, low interest rates)
3. I got the condo rented.
4. I got pregnant (the biggest change, by far!). We thought that due to our rather lackadaisical approach to pregnancy (“I think I’m ready. . .” “OK, let’s just see what happens”), we thought it would be several months at least. Wrong — try within a week. Cest la vie.
What has been most surprising to me about 2010, particularly with getting pregnant, has been a new appreciation for listening to my body, and being healthy to be healthy. I think I am closing out 2010 about the MOST relaxed I’ve been with eating/weight/etc. since I was, maybe, 10 years old! I used to tell my husband: “I just want to be happy with myself”. . . and I made lots of progress over the last 5 years. But this is the first time that health for the purpsoe of HEALTH finally has sunk in. So, the goal of “being happy with myself” finally seems to be met. And that is a very good place to be at the end of 2010.
your new bedroom is just lovely looking! Congratulations on all the great accomplishments of 2010 and all the best in 2011 :)
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
i finally accomplished loving myself…probably the best thing i have ever done :)
Your drive is inspiring. Truly. That’s a long list and you did almost everyone one of them.
I started competing in taekwondo last year. It wasn’t planned but decided to give it a try and as it turns out I’m doing well.
Once again Ange, you are AMAZING!! I can’t believe how much you’ve accomplished this year. I’m in the process of setting my goals for 2011 and am going to be re-capping my biggest accomplishments of 2010 in tomorrow’s post. You have inspired me to aim very high!!! :)
I’ve never set up a list of goals for a year or set any new year’s resolutions, but this year was my most fulfilling and self-satisfying year. I truly believe I’ve lived it to the fullest and though it was coupled with struggles, I’ve grown in my personal faith and strength. Congratulations to you, too, with all of your accomplishments, Angela!
Great job on your goals!!! I accomplished about 7/10 of my goals for 2010, and I am really happy with that :-)
I absolutely loved reading this post Ang!!! Who wrote your chalk board sign? Very professional. bahaha Your bedroom looks like a photo from a magazine. One day I will have that!! The wood floors are gorgeous..even if they took 3 months to finish. ;)
I hired a professional for my chalkboard design. Edible Ash…you may know of her? She rocks! Very good rates too. lol. I paid her with some VOO parfait I think!
Wow…2010 WAS a crazy year for you. Congrats on reaching so many of your goals!!! And congrats on such a great blog, I look forward to reading it in 2011!